#put some respect on witches before wizards it is so disliked and for no good reason

[smokestarrules]

that moment when the second episode of the series foreshadows the last. 

[13uswntimagines]

Pranksters of the Bunch (Harry Potter AU)

Y/n is just starting to get comfortable with her new friends, when she learns about their more... playful side. We learn about more relationships and see hints of our endgame. We also get a glimpse of some other players that make up the rest of our version of Hogwarts. @literaryhedgehog

Pt. 1

“For next class, homework is to practice your transfiguration. Anyone who can get their matchstick into a needle is exempt from writing their essay. You are dismissed,” Professor McGonagall said, tapping her wand on the blackboard so the notes from the day’s lesson disappeared. As the other students began filing out of the room you picked up your bag and dropped your notes into it, careful to set your “quill” gently so the bic ballpoint pen you taped to it wouldn’t fall off.

“If you epoximose it, you won’t have to worry about it falling off” Lindsey said with an eye roll, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Some of your habits were a bit… odd. Like your preference for a pen that you didn’t have to dip in ink. 

“I’m sorry, if I what?” you asked. “That sounds like a sneeze.” 

“It’s a spell that’ll glue it so you don’t need to use spell-o-tape,” Kelley said, appearing on your other side as Professor McGonagall left the room.  

“I can teach you, if you like. It’s super simple, even a first year could do it,” Emily offered, ignoring Lindsey’s sideways glare. 

“Then why don’t they teach it to us as first years?” You said, slamming your chair under the desk. Not that you disliked any of your classes, but the curriculum seemed to leave out a lot of useful information. 

“Because they’re afraid that it’ll just help students do better pranks,” Lindsey huffed, crossing her arms. If anyone was going to teach you things, it should be her. 

“No they’re not,” Ashlyn said, rolling her eyes. “They teach tricky techniques that are applicable to multiple spells. It’s like quidditch drills.” 

“Cause it’s so much less challenging than fighting a boggart, or accioing anything. If you mess it up, then you could glue your fingers together,” Emily snorted, shaking her head. She was just lucky that Madam Pomfrey liked her enough to not rat her out to Professor Slughorn (not that he’d actually do anything) or Professor Longbottom. 

“Or accidentally drop a banner on the Huffelpuffs?” Ashlyn said with a raised eyebrow. Emily and Kelley seemed to shrink just a bit under her gaze. 

“That was you?” You asked, eyes wide. That banner had almost knocked Cheney off her broom and Amy was pissed. Rumor had it that the Slytherin captain had taken care of the incident because it was someone in her house that did it, but no one knew for sure (at least you thought no one knew). 

“You can’t prove anything,” Emily grumbled. 

“It was them,” Lindsey nodded, smirking at you. “and Arod made sure they not only apologized, but that they actually meant it. Kelley only got away unscathed because she hid in Gryffindor tower,”  

Those two always got themselves in over their heads and something always went wrong. You could only wonder what the Slytherin chaser did to them. Amy was terrifying when she wanted to be especially when you messed with her girlfriend. 

“Of course I meant it, the banner wasn’t supposed to fall,” Emily grumbled. “The charm was supposed to last the whole game. Anyway, she made me practice the sticking charm and its reverse a hundred times so it wouldn’t happen again. Not that it matters next year when I’m actually on the team. It’s stupid that they still don’t want second years to play beater.”

“At least this time there won’t be any accidents,” Ashlyn said, smirking as she settled into a chair previously vacated by some of your second year peers. Which was when you realized it was kind of odd that she was here. Wasn’t she a third year student?

“What do you mean?” You asked, your head tilting to the side like a puppy. 

“Wait THIS time?” Lindsey, asked, looking between the three girls settling down at the desks like it wasn’t the end of the day’s classes. “Don’t tell me you’re planning another prank right now?”

“Of course not!” Kelley said, looking aghast. 

“You haven’t left the room yet,” Emily said, adopting a similarly innocent, wide eyed expression. 

“They’re going to be dumbasses and probably get detention for a month aren’t they?” You asked, looking at Lindsey for help. Though you had know been hanging out with them for the past few weeks, they were still her friends after all. 

“Oh. I don’t want detention though,” Ashlyn said flipping through a spellbook absentmindedly. “And it will be rather hard to prove we have anything to do with an event which might or might not happen in the next few days.”

“Just a word of advice, though. If you’re going to take a shower today, do it in the next two hours and don’t take one tomorrow morning,” Emily said finally, eyes softening just a little at your too nervous expression. 

“You don’t think they’re going to test your wands to see if it was you?” Lindsey asked skeptically. 

“Priori incantatem only goes so far, especially if I tutor Y/n on how to glue her pens together,” Emily rolled her eyes, and shrugged. She would argue she was just being a good friend after all. 

“With the kind of prep work we’ve done, they’d have to go back, oh, at least three days before they saw any hint that we’ve done a spell related to the event, which again, might or might not start in,” Kelley checked her watch, the face of which glowed a soft yellow, “two hours and five minutes, give or take 20 seconds.”

You wondered if she came from a muggle family too, but you had been too afraid to ask. You had never met a wizard or witch that preferred wristwatches to pocket watches before. 

“In that case, we’ll head back to the Gryffindor dorms,” Lindsey said, hastily sweeping her transfiguration notes into the mouth of her bag. “See you at dinner Kelley, Ashlyn.”

“Want to meet in the library to learn the sticking charm Y/n?” Emily asked. Lindsey stopped in the doorway, waiting for you. “Like I said, I practiced the charm literally a hundred times, so I’m really good at it now!”

“Um, I think I’m just going to focus on turning my matchstick into a needle tonight, but maybe some other time?” You mumbled, glancing up at Lindsey. (Were you imagining the slight uptick of her lips?) 

“Okay,  See you then!” And with that Emily turned back to her compatriots, who all put their heads together and started talking in hushed voices, over a sheet of paper which looked eerily similar to a playbook. 

“What do you think they’re planning?” you whispered to Lindsey as the two of you raced towards the stone staircases up to the Gryffindor tower. There was this one staircase that was the fastest way up when it was connected to the right floor, but it only stayed there for a few minutes every half hour. If you missed the window to catch it there would be two extra flights to climb. 

“You really don’t want to know. Something always goes wrong when they make plans anyway. It’s why they always get caught,” Lindsey said back equally as quiet, shaking her head. She would skin them alive if you got caught in the crossfire. You were on her off limits list (you always had been) and they had always promised to respect that. 

*****

The two of you just made it to the beginning of dinner, after taking turns in the dorm’s bathroom to shower and dry your hair (at least until it wasn’t noticeably dripping). You didn’t know when your next opportunity to take a shower unscathed would be, and you were happy you had made it within Kelley’s two hour window. 

However, despite your expectations of screams, or the sound of frogs appearing from the drains, it was a quiet night. As was the morning afterwards. It wasn’t until lunch the next day, that you learned what the prank had been. Exactly as the clock struck noon, all around the great hall people started laughing as the hair of ¾ the school population turned bright colors. 

Professor McGonagall frowned at her bright purple hair in the reflection of her teapot. Alex threw a roll at Kelley (with neon yellow hair) who was pointing and laughing at her forest green hair. Tobin and Lauren had fallen off the bench laughing over at the hufflepuff table, pointing towards their respective girlfriends matching pink hair at the ravenclaw and Slytherin tables (Tobin’s hair didn’t seem to have changed color, though Lauren’s was a pale aquamarine sort of blue).

 At the Slytherin table Michelle was admiring her jet black hair, though with a wave of her wand it seemed to be speckled with glimmering white and red stars, then she turned to resume her conversation with Joy and some of the other seventh years, who you noticed didn’t seem to have colorful hair. 

Looking around the hall, you noticed that a lot of the older students seemed to be lacking the colorful hair sprouted by most of the student body. A few Ravenclaw sixth years had only looked up briefly from studying their notes to see what the commotion was about, before returning to “The Official N.E.W.T.S. Study Guide- test prep for the procrastinator”. Hope, Brandi, Mia, Briana, Christie, Tiffany, Lorrie, Carla. You looked at the sixth and seventh years you knew from watching quidditch games. Regardless of house, almost none of them appeared to be affected by the prank.. 

“You could have told me, you know?” Alex glared, throwing another roll at her cackling girlfriend. 

“But what fun would that be?” Kelley snorted, dodging the roll and quickly snatching up the basket to remove any further ammunition out of Alex’s reach. 

“Ashlyn told Ali and Emily told Kristie!” Alex whined, her nose scrunching up just the way Kelley always loved. Alex’s angry face was too cute for her to be like or off limits. 

“I value my life too much to mess with her hair care routine,” Ashlyn said, lifting her hands in surrender at Kelley’s death stare. Ali was on her off limits list after all, and that was a line she wasn’t willing to cross. 

“And you’ll notice all three of us were also affected by this terrible prank some stranger pulled!” Kelley said, unable to keep a straight face to match her seemingly offended tone. 

“Though I think I might use my free period after lunch to practice some quidditch drills,” Ashlyn said, twirling a strand of her bright maroon hair around a finger. “I have a feeling that the color will fade after I dump the icy cooler water over my head.” 

“Need someone to send some quaffles your way?” Lindsey asked around a large bite of turkey. She was always down to practice, especially if it meant avoiding the food fight that seemed to be brewing at their table. 

“Wait, ice water?” You asked Kelley as Ashlyn and Lindsey began discussing practice plans. Kelley jumped on the opportunity to escape Alex’s ire. 

“Oh yeah, we- um, whoever pulled this terrible prank- tied the spell to the hot water pipes. It should be safe to take a hot shower by tonight, but basically anyone who used hot water last night or this morning was affected. Cold water removes it though, which is why we quidditch players will discover the counter first, as we are known for taking ice baths after practice.”

“So I have to freeze my ass off to fix this shit!!” Alex screeched, plucking at the strands of green hair falling into her eyes. 

“Come on,” Lindsey said, grabbing your arm and pulling you towards where Brandi was sitting at the front of the Gryffindor table. “Let’s go get the locker room key from Brandi so we can go practice before potions.” 

“Yeah, let’s do that” You mumbled, eyes widening at how Alex was now towering over Kelley. You didn’t know the beater could shrink so far into her chair. 

Brandi, it turned out, was talking with professor McGonagall about the house cup this year. Though no longer head of Gryffindor house, McGonagall was still invested in the team’s progress. 

“Oh, speak of the boggart, here are our two latest recruits,” Brandi said, gesturing at you and Lindsey as you walked toward her. “Professor, Lindsey is our newest chaser and Y/n is one of the best first time seekers Mia has ever seen.”

“Speaking of which,” Lindsey said jumping in, “We were hoping to practice some drills after lunch. Could we borrow the locker room keys?”

You stood just behind her, still a little intimidated by both women. 

“It is good to see some responsibility coming from some of our second year Gryffindors,” Professor McGonagall said, smiling at you- when you peeked out from behind the taller chaser- and Lindsey in turn.  “I do think some of your classmates, and perhaps even some of our third year students could learn a thing or two from you.”

You weren’t sure how to respond, so you smiled meekly and quickly made your way out of the great hall with Lindsey and the acquired keys. “What do you think she meant by that? Do you think she knows who did it?”

“Oh absolutely,” Lindsey said, shaking her head. “It doesn’t take a Seer to predict that they’re going to have detention tomorrow night. Now come on, I want to try that new feint you read about.”  

[slytherinsnekxvii]

let's talk about lily evans. she's an interesting character—or rather, the case surrounding her character is quite interesting.

i honestly don't know if i can say i dislike her. by all means, she should be a fan favourite, and she is... but for some rather intriguing reasons.

for one thing, due to the fact she's hardly expanded on in the series, certain parts of the fandom have been forced to either take the few qualities that she displays canonically and amplify them to the extreme (eg. immediate righteous anger at the slightest hint of injustice in fic) or create an entirely new personality (eg. no, i didn't actually disapprove of your pranks, it was just sexual tension). of course, the option of creating a new personality is much more tempting when you can just add amplified canon traits on the side.

for another, her relationship with james sometimes seems likes it's being weaponized against snape and his fans. i've seen arguments that go like "haha, snape just wanted to fuck lily, but james got her in the end anyway, sucks to be you", and not only does it entirely reduce her to an object, it feels like they don't even care about the relationship, the dynamics or the characters. she's basically a plot device.

and thirdly, half of her characterisation in fic is to be a peter stand-in. we don't like the rat man, so let's take the pretty girl and put her in place of the guy who was canonically a member of the marauders, even up until he was named secret keeper. suddenly, she's a prankster and an enabler.

but, snek, you may say, all of that is fanon lily, tho. you just explained that people seem to like her because they just put any personality they want into her as long as she's at least vaguely a good person. you would be right.

let's look at canon lily. she's described as the brightest witch of her age, most everyone speaks favourably of her. in fact, the only people we see actively disliking/being upset with her are petunia, out of jealousy and the invasion of privacy concerning her letter, severus, who lashed out and used a slur that also applied to him in a moment of serious distress and apologised after, and well, pureblood supremacists by virtue of her being muggleborn. interestingly enough, even this dislike manages to develop everyone's character more than it does her own.

as a teenage girl myself, let's look at her actions as a teenage girl. not necessarily in chronological order because I'm writing this at 2am and my memory is already mediocre at best.

1. she's done well enough in school to be considered trustworthy and responsible enough to be a prefect.

okay, i can respect that. a good few of the prefects at my school were really just appointed based on how much the teachers liked you, but at hogwarts, there's so few of them that they must put at least a little effort into it, so i'll move on.

2. she does not press for details when informed that her best friend's life needed to be saved by someone who has been publicly tormenting him for years

now, see, there's no reason why she needs to play therapist. it's not her job, she's just a girl, and we know that snape wasn't supposed to talk about the incident, so he would've been stuck if she had asked for an explanation. however, i also feel like she doesn't seem particularly concerned about his wellbeing, and when he brings up his concerns about lupin, rather than ask for proof, she dismisses it. which, fair enough, i would hate to listen to someone talk about the same thing over and over and over, but, i also feel like the fixation on a theory like that would be cause for concern.

3. she dismisses the actions of a group known to play tricks that harm people and have specifically been tormenting her best friend on the basis that they don't use dark magic

first, i'm going to establish what i usually assume dark magic refers to. aside from jinxes, hexes and curses, i also include anything that produces an effect similar to any of the unforgivables (takes away your life, your free will or your ability to feel safe in your own body, such as when you're in excruciating pain), and magic that would require a sacrifice of some sort.

when snape tries to point out the danger in what the marauders do, she insists that they don't use dark magic. and they don't... but they do use illegal magic. she then argues against the company that snape keeps, which, again, to be fair, is justified considering mulciber's done something to mary macdonald... it's also not a particularly realistic ask. snape probably shares a dorm with these guys, and he's a poor half-blood so he's already on the outs. as far as he knows, any dissent will be met with him getting hexed in his sleep. but, i digress.

given that the marauders have been shown to be doing extremely dangerous with little regards to anyone's safety, and actively tormenting her best friend, i disagree with her choice here. on the other hand, she's made her own friends in gryffindor and perhaps she sees a nicer side of them that we don't get to. she's justified in her actions, but i still disagree.

4. she intervenes when her best friend is hung upside down by a spell of his own invention at the wands of the people who have tormenting him for years

she does object to the marauders' treatment of him, and she does try to get them to let him down. if i were in her position, i would absolutely do the same. i respect the decision to stand up for her friend.

5. she does not seriously attempt to help him or punish the marauders

i do not respect how she handled it. at any point, she could have drawn her wand. but, snek, you say, perhaps she didn't want to get involved physically. she wanted to follow the rules. in that case, at any point, she could taken points, assigned detention, or sent someone to get a member of staff. she does none of those things and i viscerally disagree. if we were ever friends and someone tried to hurt you, i can assure you that i would try to at least see to it that they'd be punished, even if it wasn't immediate or by my own hand. lily, however, chooses to argue rather than take action.

6. she smiles when severus gets hung upside down

chances are, it was more than likely an involuntary reaction, like laughing when your friend has fallen over. however, the fact that it was intentionally written in seems like it's mean to be an indicator that the friendship was already falling apart.

7. she comments on her best friend's poverty and uses a name that's been used to make fun of him after he calls her a slur that also applies to him

she was 100% within her rights to be upset by being called a slur. it is never okay to use slurs. the only situation in which a slur could possibly ever be appropriate would be if you were an oppressed group attempting to reclaim said slur which is not at all what snape was doing here. he was experiencing cruelty, being humiliated, publicly, for no reason beyond existing and he was in distress, choking on soap and upside down. it was damaging to his pride, especially when james suggests that he needs lily to fight his battles for him (paraphrasing) which is an emasculating statement to make, especially to a teenage boy. so, snape lashes out with the most hurtful word he could think of, which happened to be a slur that also applies to him. lily was 100% justified in being upset about this, and she retaliated in kind. she was very much allowed to say what she said. i understand that she was hurt and angry and i respect that, especially as i can't guarantee that i would not have been just as upset in that situation.

8. even when the threat of sexual harassment is made, she still does nothing

i get it, at this point, she's hurt, she's mad, she wants him to suffer since she's a teenage girl and teenage girls hold grudges like it's nobody's business, but... i definitely couldn't just stand by and watch it happen. she basically just let them go through with it.

9. she does not accept her best friend's apology for calling her a slur that also applies to him, effectively burying the friendship

she is, by no means, obligated to continue being friends with him. however, if i were in that position, and the apology was sincere, i would take the friend back.

10. she goes on to date and eventually marry the guy who bullied her former best friend for his entire school life

no. i disagree. but, snek, you say, james changed. no. he didn't. we know, that at this point, james was still going after snape behind lily's back. you can say that she didn't know, but that means that she would have allowed james to lie to her and that doesn't sit right with me bc a relationship built on lies is a relationship that is going to fall apart, especially when your partner has been disappointed by your actions before. you can say that she did know, and that proves that she simply didn't take her responsibilities as head girl seriously enough to stop the head boy from harassing people when she explicitly told him not to. the point is, no. there is no way that this would have worked out as a long term relationship. james is too comfortable lying to her. i can't even say she was justified. there is no circumstance where i personally see this as okay for anybody involved.

alright, so, essentially teenage lily was justified in (most of) her actions, even if i find them questionable.

adult lily dies at 21, while saving her son, but her death also helps save the wizarding world. good job. she, as expected, did what any good mother would.

and that's canon lily.

my thoughts: she's a perfect example of why writing tips are so adamant on making sure people try to show and not tell. we were told that lily is meant to be good and pure and lovely, but the author never bothered to actually prove that, so what we're left with a dissonance between what we see and what we know.

as a result, i still don't know if i truly dislike her. her actions are justified, but they don't match with what we've been told, and we don't have any other information to go off of. at best, i can say for certain that i disagree with many of her choices, despite understanding why she would have made them (except for marrying james potter, uggghh, the only good thing to come out of that was harry and the saving of the wizarding world by extension, ig).

thanks for reading all that, btw! hope it made sense :)

[aros001]

Read through light novel vol. 8. Random thoughts.

It's funny that what's made me the angriest thus far in this series is Priestess getting her clothes stolen. Closest was Wizard Boy's arrogant ignorance. With the goblins I feel horror and disgust and yeah there's anger there too, but for whatever reason I had just such a strong reaction of "That bitch!" when the girl stole the mail from Priestess and made her cry.

The news that the first princess had been kidnapped by goblins was enough to make the king stand up from his throne.

Okay, I was mad but not that mad!

“About, that...” Witch, who had produced her pipe from nowhere, gave Priestess a heavy-lidded look. Erk... Priestess felt her heart skip a beat; she put a hand to her chest. Would she be able to have this effect on people someday? It was going to be a long time coming...

That does make me wonder, has there ever been a design for Priestess as an adult, be it official or fan-art? She is only 16, so even if she doesn't get much bustier she should still reasonably grow a bit. It's interesting to imagine her and Goblin Slayer anywhere near a similar height.

Also, this is me probably looking too deep into things, but between Witch, Sword Maiden and even a lot of her interactions with Noble Fencer, does anyone else ever get the feeling Priestess might be bisexual? I hesitate to say that because usually I dislike how often I see people insist that a deep friendship/connection/admiration immediately equals love, but how the narration sometimes describes how Priestess is thinking about some other women makes it sound a lot more like attraction than just envy over body proportions. I say bi and not just gay because she does seem to have at least some romantic feelings for Goblin Slayer, even if it is just a desire for his attention and approval.

That aside, I do really like that she wants to be more like Witch, or at least how she perceives Witch. Cool, powerful, knowledgeable, elegant, stacked. I've always had a soft spot for characters who have another person they admire as their goal to be like and are so humble that they don't quite see the positive effect they already have on those around them. The person who admires someone for their positive qualities not yet seeing that they too are admired for similar qualities.

The skin her vestments revealed was perfectly white, almost translucent, as if untouched by the sun. It meant that the tinge of rose in her cheeks was probably not just from the light. She almost seemed like a harlot—and there were temples that kept sacred prostitutes.

What the f**k is a sacred prostitute?

Given that we know High Elf Archer sleeps in the nude, that's twice in this book Goblin Slayer just barges into a woman's room while she's not dressed, first with Cow Girl and then with her to wake her up.

“I know it’s hard,” Goblin Slayer said with utmost seriousness. “When I was a child, I would lay in bed trying to find out how long I had to keep my eyes closed before it would be morning.”

Again, one of the big draws of this series for me and why I think it works is that it takes trauma seriously. The raping goblins aren't just a gimmick to make the series seem edgy. It addresses that these creature would really mess a person up and that the lingering trauma is treated with understanding, never like it's cowardice or foolishness. How this series handles Sword Maiden especially is something I really respect. She comes in to save the day at the end but it's clear it's taking everything she has just to be there. How she froze up when she was called on in the court to deal with the goblins and the relief like a bright light when Goblin Slayer came in to take the job. The position she's in of being powerful enough to face the Demon King but unable to fight "mere" goblins and no one aside from those who've personally experienced the sheer horror of the goblins able to understand, adding to her feelings of isolation and helplessness. It's really good stuff.

I remember when I first started with Goblin Slayer and I saw some people complaining that the series was kind of dull because he never fights anything other than goblins. One, that's just flat-out not true, as he's fought many non-goblin creatures. He just has no interest in fighting anything that's not a goblin. But even when it's just the goblins, I think this series does a good job at making the goblins always feel like a threat and shaking things up often enough. Giving them new tactics, new leaders, new bases of operation, even new breeds like the Goblin Paladin. Every time they're doing something even slightly different from the norm for them it always sparks some dread about what's coming. The moment this volume mentioned a band of goblins with identical tattoos marking them it was just an instant "Oh, that can't be good" from me, which leads into the Goblin Priest, a big cause for alarm given how useful Priestess has proven herself to be, which led into the weird demon arm thing. It's like complaining that a character never fights anything other than humans or dragons or vampires. The power level doesn't matter if it's the same kind of human/dragon/vampire every time. Be it the things that use goblins as their minions/followers or the goblins themselves, I personally think there's enough variety involved to keep things interesting.

A nice moment with Priestess visiting Wizard's grave (so this is the leaked image that got the false rumor started) and, something I'm really hoping for, the possible return of Fighter, even if it's just Priestess eventually finding the courage to see her again at least once. Again, the reason the goblins work is because what they do isn't just a gimmick. Several volumes after her first party's wipe, Priestess is still thinking about them, lamenting their loss, thinking about what could have been, and how difficult it'll be for them to see each other again after what happened. They weren't just Priestess' origin story, they were real (albeit fictional) people, taken before their time and violated in the worst way possible and they shouldn't be just a footnote. Be it for Priestess and Wizard's brother, they should and do still matter.

She strengthened her barriers as an attack came from a strange angle; Sage was thinking fast. It seemed likely that this thing, this shade—if it could be called that—learned by absorbing other living things. They were simply lucky that the creature it was trying to parasitize at the moment was so incredibly stupid. But... Sage gave voice to the obvious question. “How did the corpse of a goblin drop onto a mountaintop...?”

Holy shit, that's hilarious. And the best part is, there was build up to it. Back in vol. 6 when Goblin Slayer used a scroll to flood a nest he did believe there were some goblins he wasn't able to get. Throughout the series it's been noted he doesn't like using the same tricks too many times in a row in case the goblins learn from him, thus the importance of making sure every goblin he encounters he kills. If some escaped, yeah, it makes total sense he'd change to a different type of location for the Gate scroll, just in case he ever meets up with goblins whom are expecting a flood to pop out.

Second only to this with how good the set-up was has to be Priestess turning the blood from the Goblin Priest's ritual into water, ruining its sacrifice to the dark gods. She discovered she could do that last volume but it seemed like she never would again because she's forbidden from using her miracles to deliberately harm another living being (even a goblin). This was a very clever way of bringing it back, having her learn from her experiences while still being devote to the Earth Mother.

Priestess noticed that her hand was still clinging to his and blushed. She made to disentangle her fingers—hesitated—brushed his hand softly and, finally, pulled hers away. She was humiliated, pathetic, pitiful...and yet. I want to be... ...a source of strength to him. That day, she stored up the smallest of prayers in her heart. One day, she swore, she would be.

All shipping and such aside, this is something I really hope to see someday. That point in the series where Priestess is no longer Goblin Slayer's sidekick but rather his partner. Someone he can have truly walk and fight beside him as an equal, easing the burden on his shoulders, until the day all goblins are gone.

What kind of world is it where I'm thinking "Thank goodness, the princess was only severely beaten and nearly sacrificed to a dark god"?

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoblinSlayer/comments/g4llnd/read_through_light_novel_vol_8_random_thoughts/

[carewyncromwell]

“It's just like déjà vu, me standin' here with you, So I'll be holdin' my own breath -- Could this be the end? Is it that moment when I find the one that I'll spend forever with?”

~“Gotta Be Somebody” by Nickelback

x~x~x~x

In 1941, the vampire called Bat Varney was murdered by the dark wizard Grindelwald for aiding the resistance movement organized by Ministries across Europe. Bat left behind many friends, including Danny Gibson @catohphm​​ and the Selwyn-Ellison family @that-ravenpuff-witch​​​​ -- but the person most devastated by Bat’s death was his most constant companion, Atticus “Grim” Grimsley @cursebreakerfarrier​​​. Never in his life had the retired professor considered that he’d be the last one standing, out of the two of them -- and in his last days on earth, just before he died peacefully in his sleep at a ripe old age, all that he wished was that he might see his first true friend again. Little did Atticus know that -- in his last moments alive -- Bat had made a similar wish...praying that maybe he and his mate Grim could meet again someday, somewhere where Bat didn’t have to regulate how much or how long they touched...maybe even with his real face...as Robert.

About a decade after Professor Grimsley’s death, the only son of a well-respected Pureblood family started his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Ravenclaw house. The boy -- appropriately enough also named Atticus -- wasn’t particularly popular at school, given his hyper-focus on his academics and on satisfying the high standards of his father. Not only was Atticus expected to bring his family honor and esteem, but he also had a rival at Hogwarts who he was expected to “outdo.”

Bartholomew “Barty” Gilbert (pronounced “JO-behr”) was the only son of an up-and-coming Pureblood family who’d just emigrated from France and made a lot of money investing in robe shops in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade alike. He was also now a Gryffindor in Atticus’s year, and Atticus’s father was very firm that Atticus not let the boy surpass him in anything. Although Atticus normally obeyed his father with a certain degree of reluctance, in this case, he didn’t like the thought of losing to Barty Gilbert either. Not because the Gryffindor wasn’t pleasant -- no, in fact, he was almost too pleasant...too amiable, too inoffensive. And that made it so that even though Barty got away with doing whatever he wanted without worrying about his family’s expectations, it only served to earn him more friends and admirers. Even before that, though, when Atticus had met Barty in passing before school, he still couldn’t help but dislike the other boy. There was just something off about him -- something Atticus could hardly put into words. It was like whenever Barty opened his mouth, he sounded wrong -- whenever he smiled, it looked wrong...even his eyes weren’t as they should be. There was something almost familiar about Barty’s auburn hair, face, and height -- and yet something was wrong. And it just made Atticus upset for a reason he couldn’t really explain. It reminded him of those times, when he was a very small child, when his mother would try to comfort him after he woke up sobbing and could hardly explain why. Something about someone with red eyes squeezing his shoulders, tears streaming down his face and laughing like his heart was breaking...

So Atticus was determined to throw himself into his studies and do everything expected of him. Just because Gryffindor Golden Boy Barty Gilbert refused to do things the right way didn’t mean he shouldn’t -- and Atticus knew karma would eventually go his way in the end, if he put in the proper work. It didn’t mean that he didn’t still sometimes feel somewhat resentful every time Barty Gilbert waved to him in the hall, his two best friends at his side. One of them was the most popular girl in their year (of course), another Pureblood witch named Cecelia “Ceci” Crouch -- the other was one of Atticus’s own dormmates, a poor Muggle-born boy who in third year had become Ravenclaw’s Star Chaser named Robert Bellamy. Despite sleeping in the same dorm for five years, Atticus and Robert had really never talked -- Atticus was focused almost exclusively on his studies, of course, but even Robert seemed actively disinterested in talking to Atticus. Perhaps it was because of how much Atticus kept sticking his nose up at his best friend Barty -- perhaps it was because of how much of a stick-in-the-mud Atticus was -- or perhaps it was for a reason Robert couldn’t quite put into words, the same way Atticus couldn’t completely explain his instant dislike of Barty.

One day at the beginning of fifth year, however, Atticus and Robert were forced to engage with each other when Professor Binns inexplicably decided to actually assign a paired homework assignment. (A possible result of Headmaster Albus Dumbledore casually reminding the History of Magic professor of a similar assignment he’d assigned his OWL class back in the days when he was still alive.) Although Binns of course didn’t remember any of his students’ names, he nonetheless paired Robert with Atticus. Neither of the Ravenclaws was particularly pleased, but none of them was the type to actively argue or complain.

After class, Atticus approached Robert outside the History of Magic classroom. Robert told Barty to go on ahead to the Great Hall and that he’d catch up. Once Barty was gone, Atticus uncomfortably questioned Robert about when they could meet to work on their oral report on the Witch Hunts of the 14th century.

Robert frowned slightly, his well-toned arms crossing casually over his chest.

“Hogsmeade weekend starts tomorrow,” he said placidly. “You occupied then?”

Unlike the rest of his classmates, Robert wore his bronze-trimmed blue Quidditch robes over his disheveled uniform, instead of his usual black school robes. Atticus couldn’t help but wonder if Barty Gilbert’s buddy just liked to remind everyone that he was one of Ravenclaw’s Chasers.

Pushing this faintly condescending thought aside, Atticus shook his head. “No -- I’m available.”

“Good. Meet me at the Three Broomsticks and we can talk there.”

He turned on his heel as if to go. Atticus couldn’t help but sputter and he quickly rushed in front of the other Ravenclaw to stop him from walking away.

“What is there to talk about? We need to get started right away!”

Robert raised his eyebrows. “Tomorrow isn’t soon enough for you?”

“The project’s due on Monday,” said Atticus seriously. “We’ll need to spend a good deal of time at the library, if we want to be prepared -- ”

“No need,” said Robert with a shrug. “I already know everything we need to know.”

Atticus couldn’t keep himself from quirking a disbelieving eyebrow. “Oh really? Robert Bellamy, slacker jock who always dozes off in History of Magic, knows enough about the Witch Hunts of the 14th century to get us an O on our oral report? Somehow I doubt that.”

Amazingly Robert didn’t react with anger -- instead his black eyes turned very cool.

“The Witch Hunts really can’t be narrowed down to just the 14th century,” he said in a very level, matter-of-fact voice appropriate to a professor. “Not only did the ‘witch hysteria’ phenomenon last well into the 18th century, until the Age of Enlightenment, but there was a lot of set-up beforehand that laid the groundwork for it. Witchcraft, specifically black magic, was considered illegal even in ancient times -- the Romans considered it a capital offense. And of course one can’t ignore how early Christians demonized pagan beliefs by associating them with witchcraft, hence why images of the Devil came to embody traits associated with the nature god Pan. The Witch Hunts of the 14th century largely came about because a bunch of Muggles got their knickers in a twist about an increased interest in necromancy and herbal remedies among the poor, spurred on by the printing and circulation of older Islamic texts. The fact that many of those people who had the most use for those herbal remedies were women -- frequently mid-wives -- scared the church as well, of course, given the sexism of the time. And of course when bad things happen and there’s no explanation for it, people love to find a scapegoat. Add a text like the Malleus Malificarum that tells the terrified masses all of their problems are the fault of evil witches to the mix, and Incendio -- you’ve got yourself a bonfire.”

Atticus was completely sideswiped. He caught himself staring with his mouth open, and quickly closed it.

“That...well...”

He felt very sheepish. His ears burned -- his mother would’ve been scolding him if she were there, for jumping to conclusions like that.

“...That’s really impressive,” Atticus said self-consciously. “Forgive me, I...I was very rude, just then.”

He brushed a loose piece of his dark brown bangs out of his eyes.

“...How did you even know all that? I don’t recall Professor Binns ever saying -- ”

“I doubt he did,” said Robert. Once again he didn’t seem the least bit offended by what Atticus had said and was currently grinning cheekily. “I got my hands on the fifth year History of Magic syllabus from an older student before term started. I went to the Muggle library and borrowed a whole stack of books about the Witch Hunts so I could read them over the summer.”

Atticus blinked. “Muggle books? But -- but wouldn’t that information be incomplete?”

“In some ways, yes. But honestly, magical history isn’t much better that way -- it leaves plenty of stuff out.”

“I suppose it does -- but Professor Binns expects you to know what he teaches too. That’s why he does those lectures.”

“And puts the whole class to sleep,” said Robert with a snort of laughter.

“That’s beside the point,” said Atticus firmly. “It’s good that you studied the material so thoroughly -- very admirable, in fact -- but there is a right way to do things, and falling asleep in class when your professor’s trying to teach you will only make it harder for you to get top marks.”

Robert shrugged. “Guess I don’t see the need to regurgitate my professor’s lessons like a parrot. And how do you know I don’t already get top marks? I don’t remember you ever asking to see my grades.”

Atticus faltered. “Well -- it’s just -- I never see you study.”

“Probably because you never leave the library,” said Robert with a rather mischievous smile.

The words were an unpleasant barb in the corner of Atticus’s chest, and his eyes narrowed to hide the slight hurt he felt. Noticing the shift in the other boy’s expression, Robert immediately put down all trace of humor.

“Only joking,” he said defensively. “Crimey...you really are too grim for your own good...”

As soon as the sentence had left Robert’s mouth, there was a strange, silent ping that seemed to ripple through both young men’s ears. The word “grim” had hit Atticus in the heart stronger than anything else Robert had said. The young Pureblood had stiffened sharply, and his expression tensed further when he realized that Robert too seemed to have suddenly gone oddly pale.

Did...did the word affect him too? Did he also find it so strangely, frustratingly, achingly familiar? Why?

The two stared at each other, both looking incredibly disconcerted. Then Robert, stuffing a hand into his pocket, quickly strolled past Atticus.

“...I’d better go catch up with Barty,” he muttered. His voice sounded oddly calm to Atticus’s ears -- almost evasively so. “Is tomorrow at noon okay?”

Atticus glanced over his shoulder to look at Robert’s retreating back.

“...Yes,” he said quietly.

Robert didn’t turn back around.

“Three Broomsticks?”

“All right.”

“Good. ...Bring some books from the library, if you want. I’m sure Madame Pince will have some suggestions I haven’t read yet. Just don’t tell her we’ll be at the Three Broomsticks -- poor thing would probably throw a fit if we spilled butterbeer on her books...”

With that, the Ravenclaw Chaser departed down the hall without looking at Atticus again.

Atticus didn’t move from his spot in the hall for a while afterward, unable to completely shake the heavy, invisible weight that had settled down on top of his heart.

He’dd only ever felt such a strange, irrational kind of déjà vu around Barty Gilbert before, but this kind...this kind was different, somehow. The feeling that accompanied Barty Gilbert made Atticus feel irritated for no reason at all. This one accompanying Robert Bellamy...it was cold, and yet also so soft at the same time -- like the feeling one has when they hear a beautiful, sad song...or when they wake up sobbing from a dream where someone is squeezing their shoulders, while tears stream down their brokenly laughing face...

[fromtheashesofvalyria]

They were both too young to know how to love.

Of course leave it to Harry Potter to be what drags me back into writing fan fiction. Apologies to people who follow me already since this is pretty different from posts I’ve done in the past, so feel free to ignore. 

I just wanted to try and get some thoughts out about a fanfiction I’m currently writing, specifically the relationship between Harry and Daphne. Or the lack of one right now anyway. ;)

The basic background is that this is a soulmate AU with soulmate marks and empathy/semi-telepathy (I’m not sure what to call it honestly). The three main ships are Dramione, Ransy, and Pottgrass, and it’s a slowburn enemies to lovers starting from Goblet of Fire on. Emphasis on slowburn and enemies considering two of the involved are Draco and Pansy.

Before I started writing again, the only ones of those three I shippped/read fanfiction of were Draco/Hermione and Pansy/Ron. I originally picked Daphne because I’d read fics that had her as a character and liked her in them; after that I read two fanfics that made me really ship them, because the amount of ships I have due to fanart/fanfic is huge. (Previously I was, and actually still am, a Nottgrass shipper because I am a multi-shipper a lot of the time.)

I’m going to put the rest of my rambling under the cut.

So there are a couple different things going on here. The most superficial was that, when I had started writing, I’d been re-watching the Lizzie Bennet Diaries so I was a bit influenced by Pride and Prejudice when writing Daphne at first. Specifically the inspiration was Matthew Macfaden’s Darcy from the 2005 movie and Daniel Vincent Gordh’s William Darcy from LBD. (And as an aside Astoria was slightly based on Georgianna from the 2005 movie and Gigi Darcy from LBD.)

The inspiration became less strong the more I wrote, but her being standoffish/cold/rude to non-Slytherins (except Astoria) and the scene where Daphne tries to make a deal with Harry was inspired by Darcy's first, horrible proposal to Elizabeth. But that’s the shallower reason, let’s get into the meat of it, which is background vs appearance. 

Harry Potter was orphaned at the age of one years old, was raised in an abusive family who didn’t even give him a room for ten years, had no friends until he got to Hogwarts, and was lied to by the Dursleys’ about what his parents were actually like. There were no pictures of his parents, he wasn’t told they were a witch and wizard, and he didn’t even know they were murdered. When he is told about his parents, he is given the romanticized view of James and Lily and their relationship. He thinks they were the perfect picture of soulmates, as he hasn’t been told that James was once a jerk that Lily really disliked. His first real experience of familial love was with the Weasleys and thinks of them as the best family in the world. Daphne knows nothing of this aside from the fact that he was raised by muggles; I don’t think she thought much about Harry at all outside of times parts of his adventures were found out by the school. Like the flying car incident. As she said in the fanfic, Harry just sort of existed to Daphne. 

Harry is only fourteen years old at the start of the fic, and has only had a crush on Cho at this point, but he does know that he wants to have the real love and respect his parents had. He wants to have a family of his own that would actually be loving. He doesn’t want his potential future children to grow up without love. And, most importantly, he doesn’t think Daphne is capable of that. 

What Harry knows about Daphne’s background is that she’s part of an old, wealthy pureblood family a la the Malfoys or the Parkinsons. (He wouldn’t know the term Sacred Twenty-Eight.) That’s pretty much it and would be about the amount of knowledge all the students from the other houses would know (except for Astoria, the Ravenclaw little sister, who is just as uncomfortable as Daphne when asked to talk about their parents). Harry is also generally dismissive of Slytherin house as a whole thanks to Draco and his gang; he thought they looked like a “pale and unpleasant lot'' at the Welcome Feast in first year. 

Here’s how Daphne comes across to the kids outside of Slytherin: standoffish; doesn’t seem to talk much outside of class participation, and is often sarcastic when she does; doesn’t seem to have friends outside of Slytherin and the only non-Slytherin she is consistently genuinely affection towards is her little sister, and not everyone sees that; while not a member of Pansy’s gang is still known to be a good friend of Pansy’s, and is also close to Blaise who is seen as equally snobby. 

(Speaking of Blaise, Daphne still wants to know why she’s the only one to get an insulting nickname like Ice Queen when Blaise and Theo are often just as anti-social towards the other houses as she is. In Theo’s case, more so. XD) 

Of course, it’s easy to sympathize with Daphne when you know what her background is really like. Her parents, despite being soulmates, have an absolutely toxic relationship that their daughters had to witness: “Daphne Greengrass hadn’t been a fan of the soulmate concept for years now. She could even pinpoint the exact moment her disillusionment started: the night before her sixth birthday when her father finally told her mother that, soulmates or not, he had never loved her and had only married her out of both obligation to the bond and to the alliance with her family. This had then turned into a screaming match in her father’s study accompanied by the sound of glass being thrown at a wall.” This is just one incident. 

Daphne was so used to her parents arguing (and to be really clear, I’m not talking about normal arguments couples have; I’m talking about full-blown trying to verbally/emotionally hurt the other as possible or just arguing to try and win against the other person) that she was already making it her job to comfort Astoria, who “was still a baby, and upset by it”. Daphne has grown up with a very dim view of romance and romantic love. 

Now, Daphne does know that people can be genuinely in love. For all their many, many faults, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy are devoted to each other. Pansy’s parents aren’t on the same level, but are loving/affectionate enough with each other. However, she doesn’t think love and happiness are guaranteed so it’s better to have something more solid like respect or trust. However, that is hard to get across to Harry because she’s grown up to think being emotional is bad/a weakness and it’s hard for her to open up to people she doesn’t know well. (Pansy was her first friend at five years old and is still her best friend up until this point; it’s also the reason her other friends are the Slytherins she’s known for years at this point. People she’s used to.)

She could have approached Harry differently, flirted, or suggested dating, or tried to be romantic but she would have thought of that as dishonest/manipulative. Because Daphne knows love isn’t guaranteed for soulmates. Because Daphne knows she’s not the most likeable person. Because Daphne isn’t sure she could love Harry and doesn’t want to lie about it. Yes, Slytherins are all about cunning and clever ways to get what they want, but this is one of the areas Daphne would not even consider something like that. For all her issues, Daphne does have some standards. 

Self-control and (just control in general) is something Daphne clings to because her parents were often unpredictable and she had to create a sense of being in control of her life. Her father is not a warm or empathetic person and he looks down on people being too emotional. (Yes, this is supposed to be hypocritical considering he’d get into screaming matches with his wife.) He would be out of the house a lot for both work and to get away from his wife. Her mother was emotionally and mentally in a bad place for a long time and withdrew from her children a bit. She improved by the time Daphne was at school, but her favorite is clearly Astoria for reasons that will be expanded on later. Daphne tells herself she gets it because Astoria is her favorite family member too. (Also I just want to make this clear, Daphne and Astoria are close siblings who genuinely love and care about each other. Daphne is also Astoria’s favorite family member. Their relationship, as I like to see/write it could be another post though so moving on.) 

This need for self-control also was because of the stutter she had growing up. She was already self-conscious about it and she was very aware that her parents (her father in particular) saw it as a problem, which stressed her out more and made her stutter worse. The more emotional she’d get, the more likely she’d stutter. Whereas the more comfortable she was, the less often it happened. Pansy already mentioned in one of her POV’s that she barely heard Daphne stutter around her after a while; not a huge spoiler or surprise, but it was the same with Astoria. One of Daphne’s pre-Hogwarts tutors was essentially a wizard speech therapist, so she had it under control by first year but it was still recent enough at the time that she was pretty afraid of slipping up at school. Also consider the fact that some students (not just Slytherins either, but from all houses) made fun of Quirrell's stutter, and he was a teacher. (Yes he was evil, and only pretending to have one, but they didn’t know that then.) How much worse would the teasing be for a first year student? So as her father told her, sometimes it’s better not to talk at all. 

Harry doesn’t know any of this. 

Before things really started in the fanfic, Harry’s one interaction with Daphne that really stood out to him was that time she was sarcastic to him in first year after his first Quidditch game: “You know my family made the snitches used at Hogwarts. Please try not to choke on another of them next time.” When fourth year started, she ignored him completely in the Great Hall, and didn’t help her friend in a way he didn’t recognize/understand. 

The next day, Daphne sends him a note ordering him to meet her during lunch, after not acknowledging him in public. (As Harry says, she didn’t even write please. It also didn’t ask him for a date and time to talk, just told him to meet her in a specific location.) When he asked if she was proposing to date him, she “made a truly exasperated sounding noise” which definitely hurt his pride a little. She also tried to approach a relationship (not necessarily even a romantic relationship, just in general) with him, someone she has barely spoken to,  like a business deal, which he thinks is a cold way to look at it and he loses his temper. However, it should be noted that she asked him why when he rejected her out of hand and well, don’t ask a question you wouldn’t want an answer to. 

Later on he sees her picking on a second year for seemingly no reason. In reality, this is a girl who did something to her sister and Daphne doesn’t let things like that slide when it comes to people she cares about. 

Now afterwards things get murkier because Daphne is wanting to freeze him out/ignore him, but he is the one to poke at her. The soulmate bond is like an outside force that pushes down on two people to try and force them together, which can be downright unbearable if you really don’t like the other person. Harry finds the pressure it puts on them very hard and is stunned when she acts like she’s not affected at all. (He’d feel better if he knew she was feeling it just as much as him. Sort of like how Hermione and Ron both take comfort in the fact that Draco and Pansy are having as bad a time with the bond as they are.) He’s already under stress from the situation with his scar hurting and Sirius leaving his hideout to come back to England because of it, now add on to that the stress of an outside magical force trying to bond him to a girl he doesn't like and who doesn’t like him. No, he’s not handling it in a great way, but he’s young. 

And Daphne could always try and talk to him about things good (sending him a song through the bond to help him sleep when worry for Sirius was keeping him up) and bad (the incident with the second year), but she doesn’t try. Partly it’s out of pride, but largely it’s because she’s developed unhealthy coping skills that she doesn’t realize are unhealthy.

[antiloveenergy]

Obey Me! MC Introduction—Ava.

MC Character Sheet idea — courtesy of @luciferasmr ♡ thank u sm!

i have many depictions of her but i chose this one. courtesy of picrew.

Name: Aveline Mille-Feuille de Poivre et Cornelia

Nickname (if any): Ava (pronounced ah-VA. she’s the type to correct you every time.) 

Age: 19

Height: 5′4

Weight: ~130 lbs

Race: Human 

Gender: Female

Birthday: 1st February

Star Sign: Aquarius

Hair color: Ivory/Light blonde

Eye color: Lilac

Skin tone: Pale white

Which sin are they like?

1. Pride

2. Greed

3. Gluttony

4. Wrath

5. Lust

6. Sloth

7. Envy

Personality Traits: Ava is a mild-mannered and soft-spoken girl. I like to think she is the traditional Aquarian. She prides herself in being intelligent and having the ability to view things objectively. She comes off a little frosty, sporting a bored facial expression and preferring to let her friends do the talking for her. However, she is very friendly and honest to a fault. Ava is also very sensitive, even though she never likes to show her feelings. When she is comfortable with you, you’ll notice how eccentric she actually is. 

Background: Ava was born in Paris, France, in a (fictional) 21st Arrondissement known as Royaume—meaning realm, in French. This district separates magic from non-magic humans. She was born to a family of noble sorcerers, the Mille-Feuille family. (ENG pron. meal-foy) She recently graduated from the Young Sorcerers Academy, a distinguished wizarding school within Paris. Although she is an Honors graduate, she is considered a Rookie Sorcerer and must continue her studies outside of school. This is a firm expectation of her mother, who emphasizes that her magic sophistication is more important than anything else in her life. Ava develops a hidden resentment for her mother because of her lack of freedom. 

Why were they chosen for Devildom?: I like to think her “kidnapping” to the Devildom was for her sake. Not only does she get to experience a world outside the “realm” of the magical district, she also has the opportunity to study demonic dark arts and form alliances with the most powerful demons in the Devildom. Maybe that will shut her doting mother up, no?  

Hobbies: Ava has a keen interest in sewing and embroidery, as well as fashion. Designing, couture, modelling, the whole nine. She’s French, so it’s inevitable that her modish style would be influenced by what she sees in her world every day. She also likes to collect jewelry and stuffed animals. 

Likes: Accessories of Sanrio characters (& other copyrighted animal friends), chemistry, truffles, thigh high boots. 

Dislikes: Being told what to do, people disagreeing with her, the food of the Devildom. 

Appearance

Casual Clothing: Ava’s everyday clothing is usually a white or black fitted turtleneck. This is paired with a denim or black bodycon skirt and thigh high boots. This simple outfit is paired with a pendant, bracelet and a hairpin.  Although she does have plenty of clothes, being in the Devildom limits her selection of wardrobe. 

Top: ♡ , ☾

Bottoms: ♡ , ☾

Shoes: ♡, ☾

Accessories (if any): ♡, ☾, ☆, ♢

Glasses?: She does not need reading glasses

Uniform: So when Ava first received her RAD uniform, she thought it was ugly. It was the typical uniform with trousers and the coat, you know the drill. When she requested to alter her uniform, Lucifer almost objected to it but Lord Diavolo didn’t seem to mind, as long as the adornishments of the blazer weren’t manipulated. 

Any alterations to their uniform? If so, what?: She decided to elongate the coat and put some light padding underneath to emulate a dress. She also cinched it to fit more tight on her waistline. It reached to her mid-thighs, and maintained its proper buttons and things. With the trousers, she cut them by leg and constructed them into knee-high boots. The process was lengthy (and expensive), but it was done. She pairs this fit with a white frilly blouse underneath the blazer-dress.

Family

Mother: Lady Cornelia Savarin (neé Mille-Feuille), a noble sorcerer and the eldest of the 5 Mille-Feuille daughters. Her appearance is icy, with long ash grey hair paired with sharp baby blue eyes. She seems to never smile. Very bourgie and exudes royal energy 24/7. Cornelia loves her daughter dearly, but she wants to mold her into the woman she grew up to be: Powerful, well-respected, etc.

Father: Duke Poivre Savarin. He was born to a neighboring family of sorcerers. Messy blonde hair and lavender eye color—where Ava gets her looks from. These days, he has abandoned his magic and is currently on a 100-acre farm in the South of France. Ava still has no idea as to why he chose to ditch his life in Royaume. Rumor has it that he committed wrongful acts and fled, others speculate that the Mille-Feuille family disowned him as an in-law. Maybe he just wants to raise cows and chickens. Nonetheless, Ava keeps some contact with her father. 

Siblings (if any): None. 

Pets?: Ava owns a chinchilla named Bisou, which she obtained while in the Devildom. Satan was the one who brought her and suggested she get a chinchilla. (Lucifer may not approve of having a pet in the house, while also having a massive three-headed hellhound...)

How many friends does your MC have?: While her stay at RAD, she became friends with three low-ranking demon girls: Cléo (ex-human), Bianca (a succubus) and Lolita (a divination witch). 

Ava and Cléo have met previously when the latter attended the same school as Ava. However, Cléo’s destructive tendencies got her banished into Hell indefinitely. (long story short she committed domestic terrorism by releasing demonic spirits into the city and possessing a shit ton of people.) 

Past relationships: N/A

Has your MC had a relationship before?: As a child she may have had a boyfriend, but that barely counts, right?

Have they been in love?: Nope. Whenever she does though, she will go insane. 

How easy do they gain crushes?: Not very easy, to be honest. She tends to be impersonal to people she is not friends with. In a crush, Ava typically keeps people at a distance, especially if she finds herself ‘feeling different’ when she’s around them. 

Do they believe in love?: She absolutely believes in love, especially monogamous love. She takes it extremely seriously, making any romantic relationship she finds herself in a slow-pacing one. “The strength of your heart compromises the one of your mind, so why would you give your heart so easy?” she would say.

What’s their type? A confident, intelligent person. Someone that can stimulate her mentally and provide her with devotion. Someone adventurous and sporadic, who is willing to show her a different side to them. 

Sexuality: Ava is heterosexual but she came to the conclusion that women provide more emotional comfort. 

Which one of the 7 brothers does your MC like the most? okay this is hard one. it’s a tie between Asmodeus and Satan. 

Why? Asmodeus, because she got along with him first. They have shared values in beauty and fashion, so it was easy for them to find common ground. She can show off her hobbies and have Asmo be receptive to it. Satan, because they’re both Intellectuals™ and can have a good debate with their big juicy brains. She also likes to compete with him to see who receives the better marks in school. 

What traits do they look for in a partner? Dignified, loyal, smart, soft-hearted, sincere, masculine, and protective. 

General

Favorite food: Chocolate covered anything. Berries, nuts, lizards, beetles, anything! She also loves anything with cheese on it. 

Least favorite: Chips. Too salty.

Favorite topic in school: Science and Magic Studies

Least favorite topic: English 

Favorite color: White

Least favorite color: Red

Do they like to be sociable or are they more of a recluse? Ava’s more introverted, but she finds herself to be more sociable in a group.

Favorite movie genre? Fantasy 

Do they read a lot or no? Yes, if you count spellbooks and magazines!

Favorite animal: Rodents (i.e, chinchillas, squirrels and ferrets etc.)

Favorite genre of music: She likes French pop from the 60s. This is her favorite song. ♡ she also likes R&B and some rap, introduced by her friends.

Least favorite genre: Acoustics. She prefers the electric guitar over the wooden ones. 

Do they like sweets? Yes! The namesake of her last name is a popular dessert, so it’s no doubt that she loves anything pastry and sugary. 

Do they like spicy food? Not as much as she likes sweets. She does like red pepper flakes in the inedible Devildom cuisine, if the taste calls for it.

Do they like school? Ava is a dork so she loves school. When she found out she was returning to an academy, she wasn’t that upset about it. This gave her an opportunity to learn more, outperform her peers, and go back to the school atmosphere.

Pet peeves: When people don’t match their clothes, when people question her, anything that she cannot put logical reasoning to, and clutter. 

[petting-mutts-and-sticking-butts]

How Veterinary School is the real world equivalent of Hogwarts.

For many veterinary students this profession has been a dream from when they were in kindergarten, much like a young witch or wizard hoping that they get their very own acceptance letter to Hogwarts when they turn 11. Most of them are fairly confident that they are getting it, because they are purebloods (or in muggle terms a legacy student). While others, like myself, are hoping that there magical ability (academic accomplishment and extracurricular activities) were enough to earn them a spot. No matter the background every young witch or wizard is ecstatic when they finally get that letter.

Once accepted, there is a whirlwind of things that need to be accomplished prior to getting on the Hogwart’s express. First you have to go to Diagon Alley (Amazon) to purchase their many school supplies: books, robes (spirit gear/ scrubs), wands (dissection kit), and trunks (backpacks). Getting off the train and arriving to Hogwarts (Veterinary school) you are greeted by the larger than life groundskeeper, Hagrid, who shuttles you across the Black lake to the castle. The whole time all the first years students are getting acquainted and more excited to actually enter the school.

 At our college we have a whole week of orientation, you are greeted by the larger than life dean of student’s and many other higher ups in the college. You are given a tour of the hospital by some of the upper classmen. During this orientation process, much like Hogwarts, our school has houses that you are sorted into. These houses compete throughout the year in various activities to build up the students morale and build bonds that will last a life time.

There are so many classes that you go through in veterinary school that honestly have a Hogwarts counterpart: 

Potions= Pharmacology

Care of Magical Creatures= Medicine Courses

Charms= Emergency Medicine/ Pain management

 Astronomy= Radiology

Defence Against the Dark Arts= Bacteriology/ Mycology/ Parasitology/ Virology

History of Magic= History of Veterinary Medicine

Herbology= Toxicology 

Devination= Clinical Pathology and Veterinary Neuroscience

Transfiguration=Surgery 

 And with each of those courses comes the many professors and the personalities they bring with them.

The Professor Snape: A professor/ clinician that instills fear in every student they come across. They may have a few students that they tolerate more than others but for the most part they hate students. They would really prefer tinkering by themselves and work on different research projects but because this is a teaching hospital they are forced to interact with people. But in their own words “I am tenured so what are they going to do?”  

The Professor Kettleburn: A professor/ clinician that loves all animals, no matter how dangerous they are or how often said animal has tried to kill them. They have some of the coolest war stories around but they also have the associated battle scars. You wish you were as brave as they were but you also question their sanity. 

The Professor Binns: A professor/ clinician that drones on and on and doesn’t even notice that half of the class is not paying attention, while the other half of the class has fallen asleep. Sometimes they even bore themselves while they are lecturing on the subject. 

The Professor Flitwick: A professor/ clinician that is very eccentric and likable. They always seem to be in a happy mood and will do anything in their power to brighten your day. Often times they are exceptional in their specialty making them a force to be reckoned with. 

The Professor McGonagall: The professor/ clinician that seems very serious when you first meet them but as the years go on you realize that they are one of the students biggest supporters. They are hard on you when they need to be, but they are understanding and helpful when it is most needed. They are astounding in their field and are respected by all that know them. 

The Professor Sprout: The professor/ clinician that is very earthy and was likely your toxicology professor. They don’t really deal with animals a whole lot but they deal with the plants that could kill said animals. They are the leader of the misfits but they are very likable people.  

The Professor Trelawney: A professor/ clinician that seems to live on their own planet. Most of the time you think they are making things up as they are going but every once in a blue moon they get something right. And the things they do get right are world changing so that’s why they are still around. 

The Professor Lupin: A professor that was only with your class for a short period of time. They always look disheveled and like they had a hard night. They are very nice and often very good at working with students but misunderstood by most of the faculty.

The Professor Dumbledore: A professor/ clinician that leads a complex life, but also has a taste for some of the simpler things. They are brilliant, eccentric, loving, and strict. You go through school thinking you have them pegged and then you get to clinics and realize that this person is far deeper than you ever imagined. 

The Hagrid: A technician or hospital staff member that would do anything to help the students. They often give tips and tricks that the clinician probably wish they wouldn’t divulge but they really don’t care because they like the students more than the clinicians anyway. They love all the animals as if they were their own, and often times they pour their heart and soul into the treatment of those animals. Treat these people nicely, they will be your best friends during the clinical year. 

The last comparison to be made is between the main characters of the story (including the villains) and all of your classmates. 

Harry: The chosen one. They seem to have all the clinicians and professors on their side. They can do no wrong and very few people truly dislike them. While from the outside looking in it appears that everything in their life is so easy, often times that is quiet the opposite. Rarely do they actually know what they are doing, they just get lucky and have a lot of help.

Ron: The funny best friend to the chosen one. They may be just as smart or be the reason that the chosen one accomplished as much as the did, but because they are the sidekick they don’t get nearly as much credit as they deserve. But they are okay with that, because they are good people. 

Hermione: The brainy student that you hear everyday in class. When a teacher asks a question, they raise their hand first. They are overachievers, so much so that you wonder how they have time for it all (time-turners must be real right?) They have tidbits of knowledge tucked away and they are ready to apply at the drop of a hat. The more you get to know them, the more likable they are but damn were you annoyed before that (this is me...).

The Weasley Twins: The jokesters. The professors know that they are pranksters, and sometimes they help pull off grand schemes. Other professors hate them because “this is a professional program so you need to act like grown-ups.” They may even drop out in there clinical year because this really wasn’t for them in the first place.

Luna: That one classmate that always seems to have their head in the clouds, and when they actually talk you never really know what might come out of their mouths. They are brilliant in their own right but they are extremely eccentric and have some beliefs that are not widely accepted by the veterinary community. 

Neville: The student that you constantly find yourself asking how they got here in the first place, since they are all but a squib anyways. They always seem to be struggling and never really seem to have a full grasp of what is going on. But then you see them in the clinics, and watch them finally gain some traction and see their education come full circle. It’s like something finally clicked and they found their element. 

Ginny: The students from the classes beneath you that are associated with your class for one reason or another. They may be a roommate, a girlfriend/ boyfriend, a classmate that failed a class, or your first year buddy. Either way you see them so much that sometimes you forget they are not part of your graduating class. 

Peeves: They speak mainly in riddles, and they are constantly trying to start some kind of drama. They get along pretty well with the Weasley twin’s because they are all up to no good. They will not rest until mischief is managed. And they show up when they are least wanted, because all they do is make your life harder.

Moaning Myrtle: That one student that you always see crying in the hallways. You wonder what in the world makes their life so hard that they are always on the verge of tears, but who knows maybe that’s just how they handle stress. Everyone is afraid to be left alone with this person because you never know when the waterworks might be coming.

Malfoy: The one classmate that everyone loves to hate. Not only did they chose to act like a total ass-hat within the first year of school, but they continued to make decisions that put them at odds with most of the class. They may have wanted to be a good person, but their inherently bad heart lead them to make all the wrong choices.  

Crabb and Goyle: They are associated with the aforementioned villainous classmate, so everyone still hates them. When in all reality they probably are not that bad but they are associated with the wrong people and have forever been grouped with that hatred.  

Filch: This is the student that absolutely hates anything fun, despises the Weasley twins, and HATES PEEVES! They walk around with a scowl on their face, their scary sidekick in toe, ready to turn in anyone that even thinks about breaking a rule. Sometimes you wonder how they got past the interview process to begin with, but maybe they just scared the interviewers so much that they had to let them in. 

Voldemort: This is the NAVLE in my mind. You can’t reach your full potential if you don’t defeat that damn test. Every year you are in school the weight of that test grows heavier and heavier. You know the final battle is going to test everything you have learned throughout your years of school and training. You know that it is going to be an epic battle of wits and you are going to leave that testing center feeling a lot worse for the ware but it can be done. IT MUST BE DONE FOR YOU TO LIVE YOUR LIFE LIKE THE PROPHECY PREDICTED!

Dolores Umbridge: This person isn’t necessarily a classmate, but it could be. They are despised beyond all others. They are hated more than the NAVLE, maybe not feared as much, but definitely hated more. They have inserted themselves into your veterinary school experience and every minute with them made it worse.

Bellatrix Lestrange: This person is sadistic and enjoys torturing people just because they like to watch them fall apart. They are intelligent but mentally unbalanced and easily lose focus but they are devoted to making the life of their victims worse through the teachings of Voldemort. Often twists reality to suit their view and purpose. Everyone is below them in status, at least that’s how they see things. Evil incarnated. 

Lucius Malfoy: This person often considers themselves better than those around them because of where they come from. Often acting as though other classmates are beneath them because those classmates took a different route to get here. At times they may even attempt to sabotage their classmates because of their belief that they are superior. This person often hides in the shadows, making it hard to detect their true feelings but if you watch their repeated actions their beliefs become very clear. 

Sirius Black: A person that you originally thought was evil due to rumors that had gone around the class. Then you take the time to get to know them and hey become family. People wonder why you like them, but you tell them that this person is good people.

Molly Weasley: This person is a mother figure in your school. It may be a classmate, a faculty member, or supporting staff. They often bring baked goods to class and try to make sure that everyone is happy and taken care of. They check-in often and are always there for you when you are down in the dumps.

Arthur Weasley: This person is a father figure to all. Often fascinated with things that have nothing to do with veterinary medicine. The job that they have often contradicts those outside interests but they don’t mind. They are goofy and light hearted most of the time but will kick ass and take names if need be.

Madeye Moody: This person knows everything, so much so that you are pretty sure they can see in all directions. They look crazy and dangerous but in all reality they are very smart and somebody you want on your team. At times they seem paranoid until their suspicions come to fruition.

Dobby: This is your family and friends that always seem to be there when you need them most. They put up with being treated like garbage because you are their family. Because let’s be honest, these people take the brunt of your piss poor mood when you are stressed. They are the closest too you so they see the absolute worst of you, but yet they still love you. So give Dobby something nicer than a used sock... Say thank you for the years that they put up with you. 

Hedwig: Don’t forget about the veterinary student’s pets. They are the real heroes to this story. Not only do they keep us sane but they put up with our constant poking and prodding. They also get voluntold to be the dummy for sooooo many wetlabs. All the while they greet you at the door with a wagging tail or a rub of the leg and would sacrifice their life for your at the drop of a hat.

[missjosie27]

Year 1 Part 1: Arrival at Hogwarts

A boy of average build, bright hazel eyes, dark brown hair, and a naturally illuminated face took in the scene around him.

David Grant couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer grandiosity of the institution he would be calling ‘home’ for the next seven years of his young life.

Jacob had been right. You really had to see Hogwarts to believe it.

So overwhelmed was the young wizard, he almost forgot to pay attention to a rather stern looking late middle aged witch dressed in light green robes and a tall pointed hat. Though not frightening, she certainly gave off the impression of being ‘no nonsense.’

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” she said in a short, brisk tone. “I am Professor McGonagall. Before you take your seats, we must sort you into your houses. There are four houses of which you may be selected- Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin, each one representing a characteristic or trait. Be aware that these houses will be something of a second family to each of you. Faithful deeds and achievements will earn points, while dissidence and failure to act accordingly will result in the loss of said points.”

She paused for a brief moment, as if entertaining the notion any of the bright eyed first years in front of her might be brave enough to ask a question.

“Now, I will call each of you by name and when prompted will come up to the stool to be sorted.”

David, young and inexperienced as he was, knew this much. Jacob had told him about that part when he was a little kid…before he had disappeared that was.

Jacob was the teasing sort of older brother, not a bully, but also the type that never withheld a chance to remind his sibling just how ‘little’ he was. Therefore, whenever he had questions about Hogwarts, he wouldn’t get very many specific answers. Practically a hero in his eyes, David’s ignorance of his brother’s true machinations while at Hogwarts remained unknown to him until the Daily Prophet ran its headline one fateful morning. Only then did big questions about what he had been up to form in his mind.

Even so, David knew enough about Hogwarts that the place was HUGE and from the looks of things that wasn’t the only impressive aspect of it. A nighttime sky hung over like a vast sparkling canopy of stars and constellations, candles hung in the air, suspended in place by some spell he did not yet know (his parents had been rather strict on no magic outside of school). But he was also aware of the prying eyes of the older students, even ones not even a year older than him. The brother of Jacob Grant wasn’t stupid. He knew the moment his name was called, the whispers and pointing would commence. Fortunately, he knew how to deflect such gossip- be quick with a joke and a smile.

Disarm them before they even get a chance, he thought to himself, easing out a breath he had been holding for a little longer than previously realized.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud, raspy voice that seemed to originate from a dusty, brown looking hat.

Come on and see

You were meant to be

And my job quite key

 To peer inside

Look and find

Which house you will reside

 The lion’s den

Or Slytherin?

Either one will do

 Perhaps Ravenclaw?

A badger’s crawl?

Which one is for you?

 So don’t be shy

The time is nigh

To begin your schooling days

 Let’s have a chat

About all that

And send you on your way

 The song was quite short, but the rest of the students began clapping loudly as if it were the greatest hymn in the world. He could hear a red headed boy next to him mutter, “So that’s what Bill meant by a song.”

In any case, the sorting began without another moment as Professor McGonagall began reading out the names.

‘Badeea Ali’

A girl wearing a kind of strange scarf covering over her head David had never seen before walked towards the stool where McGonagall placed the hat on her head. It only took a matter of seconds before it called out ‘RAVENCLAW’

The third table from the right erupted in cheers as the girl gave a bright smile and headed towards her seat.

‘Charles Billingsley’

An awkward looking blonde boy with shoulder length hair shuffled on over and did the same as Badeea Ali. The hat took longer this time, but only just slightly.

‘HUFFLEPUFF’

The fourth table to the left erupted in cheers.

‘Ben Copper’

If the previous boy had appeared awkward, this one was downright terrified. He was sandy haired, with brown eyes, and a body language that practically reeked he didn’t want to be here in the slightest. Nevertheless, he took his place on the stool.

This time, the hat wasn’t so decisive. It took its time and the longer it stood on the boy’s head the more frightened he became. After what seemed like close to two minutes it finally belted out loud.

‘GRYFFINDOR’

The third table to the left immediately stood and hollered, notably much louder than the other two tables had. David knew that was the house Jacob belonged to and it had a reputation for bravery and boldness- that or obnoxiousness depending on who you asked. Jacob, ever the daredevil was a perfect fit, until the day he was expelled of course, in which he became vilified forever. He idlely wondered if he was destined for the same house as his brother.

After a tall black boy named Andre Egwu was sorted into Ravenclaw it was his turn to be sorted.

‘David Grant’

On cue, the whisperings and gossip began.

“Did McGonagall just say ‘Grant’?”

“Is that the brother of the guy who went missing?”

“I heard he went crazy trying to break some curse.”

He gave no outward sign the chatter bothered him, instead casually hopping the steps towards the stool. It may have been his imagination but he swore he saw some of the Professors at the head table give some whisperings as well. Professor McGonagall, however, gave the smallest of smiles, a gesture that David appreciated. He could do this. He’d made it this far hadn’t he? He wasn’t about to back down.

Feeling the hat being placed on his head, a quieter version of the noisy rasp entered his mind as though it were coming from his own conscious.

Well THIS is interesting. You are David Grant, the brother of Jacob.

‘That’s my name last time I checked.’

He hoped the attempt at levity wouldn’t be missed by that hat. Indeed, the old piece of topwear seemed to be amused in its tone.

Apple didn’t fall far from the tree did it? And not just in terms of humor. He too, was difficult to sort.

‘We’re not entirely alike. For example, I happen to know I’m much better looking.’

You are quite the young wizard, aren’t you Mr. Grant? I see great things in your future, indeed. The only question is where to place you.

David thought for a moment, briefly unsure himself. Though not averse to any house in particular (except Slytherin), he could remember the crimson and gold colors that adorned Jacob’s room when they played together. Being a Gryffindor was a sense of pride for both brothers, but the question was, would they have him if the hat chose as such?

You worry what they’ll think of you? The hat probed.

‘Who wouldn’t? Doesn’t mean I’m going to act like a bloody prat am I?’

Indeed, you have quite the determination, Mr. Grant. The mind is keen and you certainly don’t lack ambition despite your dislike of Slytherin.

David’s heart skipped a beat. The hat really wouldn’t put him there, would it?

But I think your intentions are quite clear. Best of luck in GRYFFINDOR!

The third table from the right, rather than shunning him, hollered and whooped as loud as ever as Professor McGonagall lifted the hat, allowing him to join his newfound companions. Several shook his hand, and although a few were a bit apprehensive, the response was by and large a positive one as a great relief fell from his shoulders.

The rest of the sorting seemed to go by quicker after that. Various first years, most of whom he didn’t recognize, were assigned to their respective houses. The good news was that Rowan, the only friend he had made thus far, was also sorted into Gryffindor and he happily plopped down beside him. The last to go was an olive skinned boy named Talbott Winger, who went to Ravenclaw.

Soon afterwards the murmur of the crowd hushed into nothingness as tall man with a long white beard and royal purple robes stepped to the podium. David didn’t need anyone to tell him who this was- Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the most powerful wizard of his time.

“Welcome all, to another fantastic year at Hogwarts!” he said in a clear but calming tone that indicated a great deal of warmth yet also wisdom. “To our returning students I say ‘welcome back’, to our newest students I say, we are all quite pleased to see you here. Now, I could continue with an old man’s babble but for now the only statement I wish to say is this- enjoy.”

Food practically sprouted from the plates themselves as an array of dishes were eagerly fed upon by the hungry teens and preteens in their midst.

For his part, David was quite thrilled. Nothing could beat his mum’s cooking back home but this definitely appeared to be a close second. Without wasting any time, he dug into some chicken and mashed potatoes.

“I can’t believe this, Dave!” Rowan nudged him excitedly. “We’re both in Gryffindor. And from what I’ve read, mealtimes happen exactly like these three times a day!”

“At least someone’s excited,” moaned the boy across from them, whom David recognized as Ben Copper from the sorting. “I’m not even sure I belong here.”

“You belong here,” cut across another voice near them and they turned to see a tall, lanky red headed boy with shoulder length hair giving them an encouraging smile. “Anyone sorted into this house is here for a reason. My name is Bill, Bill Weasley.”

He extended his hand which all three boys took, even Ben.

“Thanks, Bill,” Dave thanked. “I take it you’re no first year.”

“Third,” he laughed. “So I’m not that far off from where you are. But if you have any questions let me know. Hogwarts can be a little bit intimidating at first.”

David could tell Rowan was already awestruck and it wasn’t hard to see why. Anyone observing Bill could tell he embodied a very laid back, cool personality, one that was bound to attract other students, especially impressionable ones like Rowan.

“By the way, this is my little brother, Charlie,” Bill said indicating another red haired boy, one who was much shorter and stouter and had a mouth full of chicken leg. Nevertheless, he smiled and shook everyone’s hand as well.

“Yu dun haf to ca me iffle ah no,” he said through his stuffed face.

“Easy does it there, Charlie. Mum will have my head if you choke on your first day.”

The younger Weasley gave an enormous swallow and replied more clearly.

“I said, you don’t have to call me little, you know. I’m only two years younger. And what was that rubbish about a song?”

“What do you mean, rubbish? It was true wasn’t it?”

“Yeah but you made it seem like a weird test or something.”

“Didn’t want to spoil the surprise,” Bill winked. “Anyway, you’ll be glad it’s just two Weasleys at Hogwarts for now. Believe me when I say our family is quite the crowd.”

David laughed as he nudged Rowan.

“Told ya it wasn’t going to be so bad.”

“We got sorted into the best house too!” he replied enthusiastically. “I can’t wait to dig into the entire extensive history of Godric Gryffindor!”

“How bout saving the books until tomorrow?” David teased. “Have a leg.”

“Don’t mind if I do!”

The meal continued for another hour or so while the students stuffed themselves to their hearts content. By the time it was over, David had more than his fill and was feeling a tad lethargic.

The leftovers vanished and this time Dumbledore reappeared at the podium.

“Another excellent feast if I do say so myself,” he said cheerfully. “However, before I send you off to bed, I must make a few annual announcements. The first, to our first years, the Forbidden Forest is strictly out of bounds to any student of any age here. The second, is Mr. Filch, our caretaker has updated his list of banned items to one hundred and twelve at last count. Anyone desiring to know the specifics can see the posting on his door. Be on the lookout for Quidditch tryouts which Madam Hooch will be post to the board in a couple weeks’ time.

“Lastly, I would like to extend a personal word to all of you. It has been three years since Voldemort’s defeat, and we are currently living in a time of extraordinary peace. But even peacetime can bring its own challenges. I implore you all to take the opportunity that many did not receive for many years and take advantage of what this place can offer you, both as a student and as a person.”

With that, he clapped his hands twice.

“Off to bed you go. Prefects, please escort the first years to their dormitories.”

And with that the crowd of students made for the Great Hall exit, the first years hanging back to find their respective prefects.

“Gryffindor first-years!” a female voice called out. “Over here!”

The ten combined male and female students rushed around a teenage black girl of average height and build, her prefect badge glistening with authority.

“I’m Angelica Cole,” she said kindly. “I’ll be your prefect this year and as such it’s my job to make sure you know your way around while simultaneously preparing you for life here at Hogwarts. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Follow me.”

She proceeded to give them a grand tour, purposefully lagging behind the other students, whose knowledge of the castle was no doubt sufficient to find their respective dormitories.

“Be aware that the staircases change constantly,” she explained to them as they made their way to Gryffindor Tower. “Some of them have trick steps, while others move during certain times in the day. Once you get your class schedule, memorizing it will be helpful in navigating them.”

“That sounds scary,” Ben spoke aloud softly.

“It’s no big deal once you get used to it and find your way around,” Angelica smiled.

David for his part, wasn’t overly concerned as he peered over the railing.

“Wonder what would happen if you dropped a rotten apple from this far up,” he cracked while Rowan, Charlie, and another Gryffindor boy snickered.

“Moving on,” Angelica said clearing her throat. “You’ll find that there is a unique way of entering Gryffindor Tower. I cannot stress enough that no one is allowed to bring a member of another house into our common room.”

Soon enough they came across a portrait of a rather plump lady in a pink dress who seemed to be expecting them.

“Password?”

“Carpe Vinum.”

The portrait swung open, revealing an entrance way to a much larger room. Inside was a sight not quite as grandiose as the one in the Great Hall but no less intriguing- the common area consisted of an assortment of comfy armchairs, pillows, couches, and fireplaces, complete with desks and a bulletin board. Upon the mantle sat the portrait of a lion, surrounded by many large windows that had a view of the grounds down below.

All in all, it was better than David ever could have hoped.

“This is the common room, where you are free to study, play games, or relax as you see fit,” Angelica told them. “Upstairs are your dormitories with boys being on the left and girls on the right. Speaking of which, it is late, and you all have classes tomorrow. Please come to me if you have any other questions. Good night!”

They did as instructed and were almost to their respective rooms when the first test of Hogwarts confronted David Grant. A third year, returning from brushing his teeth took a sour look in his direction and remarked.

“I can’t believe they let you in here. Especially after your mad brother almost single handedly ruined us.”

David, for his part, was not one to be offended easily, even when it came to snide remarks about his brother. He had heard it his whole life, but Rowan of course did not know this.

“Back off!” he shouted at the third year. “David’s going to be one of the best Gryffindors there ever was.”

Touched by the display, he knew Rowan getting beat up on the first night at Hogwarts wasn’t in anyone’s best interests. Best to laugh it off in the best way he knew how.

“It’s okay, Rowan. Look at the bright side, I could be in this house and look like freckles here at the same time.”

That brought another round of laughter, including some from inside the third year dormitory.

The boy flushed red and muttered something that sounded like ‘first years’ before slamming the door shut.

“That’s the way to handle a bloke like that,” David said to Rowan. “Humor is a great tool to have at your disposal.”

“Can you teach me?”

“It’s more of a natural skill if you ask me.”

Truth be told, however, that kind of deflection was years in the making, a constant practice of hiding his true feelings on the subject. Because reality was, despite being able to laugh off most things that came his way, there was still a longing within the recesses of his heart. He loved his brother and would give anything to see him again. Hogwarts wasn’t just the start of a second home, it seemed as though it gave new life and possibility to find out what happened to Jacob.

His mother’s words echoed to stymie that notion.

‘David John Grant, listen to me. Your father and I do not want you going on some ludicrous adventure to find your brother or these cursed vaults he was supposedly after. Do you understand me?’

‘Mom…’

‘Do you understand me?’

In the end he acquiesced to mum’s demands because one did not tell a witch like Heather Grant ‘no’. When she meant business, you had best adhere her words.

That didn’t make them any easier to follow, however.

“Hey, Dave.”

He saw Charlie nod towards him as he put up a poster.

“Don’t pay any of these people any kind of attention. If they’re going to blame you for what happened with your brother, they’re dumber than a sack of dragon dung.”

David nodded in appreciation.

“Thanks, Charlie. Speaking of dragons, that’s quite a poster you got there.”

“Isn’t it amazing?” the red head said proudly, as the photo of the Hungarian Horntail moved about menacingly, occasionally breathing fire. “Someday I’d like to train one of those beauties.”

“I’ll stick with safer jobs,” another voice interjected. “Namely things people actually want.”

An Asian preteen extended his arm out as David took it.

“Jae Kim at your service. I’ve already taken a brief glance at Filch’s list and I sense an opportunity. You know what they say when something’s been banned.”

“What’s that?��

“A market develops for it. And I’ve got my eye on items I suspect the student body will be keen to get their hands on.”

Charlie chuckled, while Ben pulled the blankets over his head, not wanting to hear about anything that was possibly illegal.

“Good night, Dave.”

“Good night, everyone.”

Soon, the light was extinguished and the boys on their way to sleep. For his part, David couldn’t help but think back to Dumbledore’s speech. Was he warning them in some way? Or merely issuing a challenge? Either way he didn’t feel up to it, even with the hoopla surrounding him and his brother.

Achieving some measure of content, aided by the still large amount of food in his belly, the eleven year old drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

[wxldchxld]

Every third question for our favorite fox

Oh y’all better buckle up.

003. Does your character like coffee better, or tea?

Beck’s not allowed to have coffee. The world isn’t ready for that degree of energy. But also she just enjoys tea better.

006. What sense do they most rely on?

It depends on the form she’s currently in. For instance in hawk form it’s definitely sight, fox form most of it’s hearing, bear form it’s smell. In her human form idk if she relies on this the most but she’s probably at least the most aware of her sense of sight?

009. Do they believe in happy endings?

Sure. She’s not really the Debbie Downer type, and she fully believes she could have been truly happy with Harper if not for her penchant for self-indulgence and her overwhelming anxiety when it comes to conforming to society.

012. What makes your character embarrassed?

I’m not super sure this is a feeling Beck has tbh XD. I have a whole headcanon about this somewhere that I’ll link if you can find it. But like, it’s near impossible to embarrass Beck.

015. Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue?

Beck’s not very likely to fight at all. She loves to stir shit up and rile people that she doesn’t like especially (or ones she wants to fuck lmfao), but when things turn into a real fight even if it’s just an argument, Beck’s more likely to head for the door. She dislikes confrontation. It makes her very uncomfortable.

018. Your character wakes up to find that war has been declared. What do they do?

Probably leave. If leaving it’s an option she’ll keep her head down until she has to do something. Like I said Beck doesn’t do fighting unless her back is to the wall and she has no choice. If she had to take some sort of role in a war it would probably be more espionage related.

021. How do they display affection?

All of the ways. TBH Beck is very affectionate even to her friends. Most prominently she wants to touch you and be touched. She’s very touch motivated. But she’ll also make things like knitting scarves and hats or cook food for her loved ones. She spends a lot of time with that person rather than running off into the woods constantly. She’ll sing to you a lot. And basically she’ll just kind of actually listen to you and respect you. Like if you tell her something to do she’ll do it rather than being an asshole.

024. What do they consider ugly in others physically?

Beck’s not super down with bodily hair. It’s one of the big reasons that even tho she’s bi she doesn’t fuck a lot of dudes. She’s never understood why women’s hair is supposedly gross and men can just grow a fur pelt on their legs/arms/chest/underarms and no one says shit. She’s a million times more likely to sleep with a man who shaves. 

She also just finds a general lack of hygiene to be a real turn off. Beck makes it a point, even living in the woods, even without the constant use of magic, to look presentable. She doesn’t like people that look nasty. Wash your hair. Take a bath. Brush your teeth. Otherwise she’s taking a hard pass.

027. What is their idea of perfect happiness?

Beck’s idea of perfect happiness is finding someone who will live with her and travel with her and they can be wild wanderers and roam the world together unburdened by people. Where her familiars are happy and safe and she’s free.

030. Do they believe in the afterlife?

Sort of? Witch opinions vary just as much as ours when it comes to what happens to you after you die, with each theory holding a significant amount of weight. Beck’s in the unique position where she doesn’t often thing about it, because she knows her “death” it’s really going to be a thing. As a feral witch her life, unless abruptly ended through murder, is going to end with her spirit being reclaimed by the wilds, and never returning to the world of men or the life she knew before.

033. Do they keep their promises?

Beck generally doesn’t make promises. If she does, whether or not she keeps them depends on who you are to her. She’s a liar and a manipulator and a con-woman, of course she’s going to break promises. When she makes a witch’s deal (something she can’t break) she makes sure only to make them if they’re stacked in her favor and she’s able to fuck someone over if the desire strikes her.

Beck does try to keep promises she makes to people she genuinely likes. Like there are a couple of promises she made to Fen when they were kids, and even though he’s been warped and changed over the years, she still keeps her promises to him, even though he can’t hold her to them.

036. How honorable is your character?

….I mean not really at all.

039. What do they think is the worst thing that can be done to a person?

Imprisonment, probably? Or being forced to change who they really are.

042. What is their greatest achievement?

She’s a very good shifter and a decent dream walker. These are both abilities she was born with, sure, but having any control over your dream walking takes a lot of time and practice, and most witches never learn to take the form of anything aside from their clan symbol.

045. Does your character have any chronic medical conditions?

Not really

048. Do they have any allergies?

She often claims to be allergic to people who annoy her but that’s 100 percent not true and she’s allergy free. Witches on the whole tend to be very healthy creatures.

051. If they knew they would die tomorrow, what would they do today?

Probably contact Fenris and Harper and Cora and her amma. Mostly Fenris and Harper, because there’s still a lot unsaid between them. She’d want to say goodbye to Cora and her amma, but one of her greatest fears is dying without talking to her brother one last time and letting him know some things. Harper isn’t as dire to where it causes her anxiety to even entertain the thought that she might die without having one last talk, but if she KNEW she was dying, she’d want to try and give Harper closure, to let her know their fall out wasn’t Harper’s fault, and to tell her that she still loved her.

054. Does your character want power or authority of any kind?

Nah. Beck’s attracted to women that have both power and authority, but that’s just her type. Beck herself really has no interest in being in charge of anything. That’s too much responsibility. And the only power she needs is the power to do what she wants—which she has.

057. Has your character ever killed anyone?

It depends on the verse. In her verse for t100 yes she has killed and more than once. Each time was out of self defense and she had no other options.

060. What is your character’s attitude toward education and learning?

As an educator myself her attitude toward education is frustratingly apathetic. She was so severely neglected as a child that paired with her dyslexia she never really learned how to read beyond some very basic shit. Math was always frustrating for her. Service was hell for Beck because when it comes to reading spell books she’s useless, and she’s not particularly interested in learning spells she doesn’t feel will be of use to her. So like, she’ll encourage other people if they want to get an education, but she’s going to take a pass.

063. How well does your character handle difficult people?

Fairly well? I guess it depends on the type of difficult. Like I have a verse with @lcgioned where Beck’s life goal seems to annoy Lexa into an early grave, and yet she gets along with post-dictator Octavia just fine. Beck doesn’t really have a temper, and she doesn’t really do fights, so it’s hard to be too difficult for her. She just kind of rolls with it. 

The kind of person she really struggles with is the one that wants her to conform. The one that tells her she can’t act that way or scolds her because her behavior reflects poorly on them. If Beck doesn’t already like that person, for example she’s more than willing to behave to make Asha look good in my verse with @ashayara, then they can fuck off. Respect from Beck, in large part, comes from affection, and she doesn’t just listen to people because she should or she was told to. She won’t be controlled and micromanaged, so in order to curb her less desirable habits you have to be smart and endear her to you so that she’ll care about what you think. Because in general she doesn’t care how people see her. She doesn’t care if they think she’s strange or crazy, she’s living her gd life and it’s not their business.

066. Does your character prefer city life or being out in nature?

Nature. She doesn’t even tolerate cities well. They make her irritated and sometimes, if she’s subjected to them long enough, physically ill from all the anxiety they cause.

069. What about your character is heroic?

Hahahahahahahahahahaha………. I don’t know?????? I’m so sorry. I don’t see anything about Beck as heroic. Beck won’t like, stand by and let you murder a child or something horrendous if it’s like, right there in front of her. Like if she’s faced with something that she can put a stop to without it being too much of a risk to herself or her familiars she’ll do it, but Beck isn’t going out of her way to help people because it’s the “right” thing to do and she’s rarely going to put herself in danger unless it’s someone she loves on the line.

072. In a Dungeons & Dragons game, which class would your character be? (wizard, fighter, bard, priest, ranger, etc.)

I have never played D&D, so I honestly couldn’t answer this? I would assume either a wizard or a ranger just from what the name sounds like, but Idk.

075. Is your character ticklish?

Very and in all forms so think on that for a good while.

078. How emotionally stable is your character?

Beck lives in a stone fortress of denial that can only fall if you hit her with some major shit. Like she’s obstinately, often unshakably happy. Even if she slips for a few seconds, even in the worst and weirdest situations, she’ll turn around and be a smiling, ball of sunshine after a few seconds to gather herself.

Of course she does have a history of abuse, and especially in verses like ours she’s going through a lot, so she isn’t on as firm a footing as normal, but Beck’s not easy to shake in general.

081. Is your character religious?

Not really? Which is strange because she’s nominally a priestess to her people. But it’s more of a cultural thing. Like, witches in and of themselves don’t worship gods per se, but they hold their traditions and myths and stories in an almost religious regard. It’s very strange, I have a couple of deeper headcanons on it, but to make it kind of simple: Beck isn’t at all what we would likely call “religious” in our society.

084. Describe your character in one word.

If I’m being serious? Asshole. If I’m being nice? Witch.

087. How would your character describe themself in three words?

“One Foxy Lady”

090. How bodily expressive is your character?

I’m… not super sure what this means. If it means is she like, an animated person to talk to then yes. Unless she’s specifically trying to stay calm and use that to influence the emotions of something else, Beck’s never still. She’s almost kind of dizzying to talk to not because she moves in any crazy, major way, but just because it never stops.

093. What is your character’s goal in life?

To be free.

096. How do they move and carry themselves? What energy do they project?

Beck’s energy is best described as “a lot.” She’s got a big presence and like I just mentioned, she’s very active and animated. She doesn’t walk around slumped over, shy, or ashamed of herself. Unless she’s specifically trying to like fade into a crowd, she’s generally someone who grabs the eye because she’s confident and active and engaging to deal with and it’s almost overbearing over long periods of time.

099. Do they talk to inanimate objects?

She’s got a weird concept of inanimate. Like, in her world there are spirits all over the place, and they have a varying degree of sentience depending on the spirits, their age, their type, and the population density. So she’ll compliment a waterfall on how lovely it’s looking today but a small part of her thinks that like the spirits in the area take note of that and enjoy it even if they’re only semi-sentient. She struggles with seeing how those things aren’t transferable to stuff like computers and cellphones. In cities where most of the natural, open spirits that interact with everything without their own ulterior motives have been driven out, there aren’t any “cell phone” or “computer” spirits, but she’s so in the habit of it that (generally when she’s frustrated she’ll forget) she’ll curse at them or ascribe motive to something an inanimate object is doing.

Harper once bought Beck an extremely expensive sports car, only to immediately sell it after Beck amassed 4 speeding tickets in a month and got her license suspended because, as Beck put it, “the car wanted to go fast.”

[changeling-fae]

I didn’t get any asks but I really wanted to do this so here we go!

1. What’s their name? Is there a reason why they were named that?

Maris (mah-riss) is Melody and Talbott’s son and Lorelei (lora-lie) is their daughter. Since Melody’s line has merfolk in it, it was important to keep the sea ties to their lineage.

2. Who are their parents? What’s their relationship with them?

Melody Prince and Talbott Winger are their parents and they have a very close relationship. This is definitely due to Melody and Talbott’s family trauma and their desire to make sure their kids didn’t endure what they endured.

3. Which relative do they resemble the most? Why?

Maris is not only the son of Talbott but is also the son of a Prince and all the Prince men are reserved and aloof.

That being said he is more... mischievous? He’s too smart for his own good and thanks to being a legilimens he knows a lot of secrets. I’d say he’s a good blend of both parents.

Lorelei is also a good blend but her aloofness is more whimsical than serious. She’s also a legilimens but doesn’t use secrets as a weapon like her brother. She’s a poet like her father and writes her own songs.

4. How much did MC influence their growth?

Quite a bit, she grew up feeling abandoned by her family and never wanted her children to feel that. She and Talbott make sure that their kids know that they’re loved.

5. How much did Jacob influenced their growth?

Assuming he survives the game, he doesn’t have too much influence. He and Melody’s relationship was never able to fully heal.

He’s of course welcome to the family and he does visit occasionally but he felt guilt for what he put his sister through and thought he didn’t deserve his place in her life.

6. Describe their wand.

Maris’ wand is 11in Elm wood with a scale from his great-grandmother’s tail.

“The unfounded belief that only pure-bloods can produce magic from elm wands was undoubtedly started by some elm wand owner seeking to prove his own blood credentials, for I have known perfect matches of elm wands who are Muggle-borns. The truth is that elm wands prefer owners with presence, magical dexterity and a certain native dignity. Of all wand woods, elm, in my experience, produces the fewest accidents, the least foolish errors, and the most elegant charms and spells; these are sophisticated wands, capable of highly advanced magic in the right hands (which, again, makes it highly desirable to those who espouse the pure-blood philosophy).”

Lorelei’s wand is 12in Beech wood also with a scale from her great-grandmother.

“The true match for a beech wand will be, if young, wise beyond his or her years, and if full-grown, rich in understanding and experience. Beech wands perform very weakly for the narrow-minded and intolerant. Such wizards and witches, having obtained a beech wand without having been suitably matched (yet coveting this most desirable, richly hued and highly prized wand wood), have often presented themselves at the homes of learned wandmakers such as myself, demanding to know the reason for their handsome wand’s lack of power. When properly matched, the beech wand is capable of a subtlety and artistry rarely seen in any other wood, hence its lustrous reputation.”

7. Do they have any pets? If not, how do they feel towards animals in general?

Basically just as many pets that Melody had growing up. They’re animagi like their parents and are good with animals, especially aquatic ones and birds.

8. How much of the Magical World have they already experienced before they started attending Hogwarts?

They were born into it, with Melody being a healer for St Mungo’s (and later Hogwarts) and Talbott being an Auror. They grew up in Melody’s childhood home which is tied to a magical reserve for aquatic magical creatures.

9. Do they have any muggle based interests?

Maris finds psychology and science fascinating. He can often be found reading muggle doctors textbooks. He’s also a big fan of HP Lovecraft, mostly because he finds the concept of muggles finding fish people horrifying hilarious.

Lorelei loves muggle music and has gone to quite a few concerts. People might be surprised to find that her favorite is heavy metal.

10. In which house were they sorted? How much do they fit the Sorting Hat choice?

Maris gets sorted into Slytherin like his mother and definitely fits his house. He’s cunning, ambitious, and very resourceful. He’s also John Oliver level of trolling ability.

Lorelei was sorted into Ravenclaw like her father and she also very much fits her house, especially the creative and independent part. She’s very open minded like her mother too (who had been a hatstall with Ravenclaw).

11. Which is the general opinion about them?

Maris is a sparkly, hot (heart of gold) asshole and Lorelei is a mysterious, whimsical space cadet.

Maris is following his uncles footsteps in having a bit of a fan club. The only difference is he’s more into it and will absolutely use it to his advantage.

Lorelei is the only one who can easily knock him off his pedestal when she feels his head is getting too big.

Lorelei is incredibly intelligent like her family but she’s such a daydreamer that upon first meetings, many people think she’s just an airhead.

12. What do the professors and the other people working at the school think about them?

Kind of a combination “oh no” and “huh, they’re not too bad”.

Maris and Lorelei are good students even with their quirks and they will never be as bad as Melody in breaking the rules.

13. Is there a professor they highly respect? Is there instead a professor they can’t stand at all?

Flitwick is a favorite to both kids and they respect McGonagall as Headmistress.

(If Snape were alive they’d like him to, especially Lorelei).

There isn’t really a professor they dislike but Maris likes messing with Trelawney because he finds it fun, especially being a legilimens.

14. Talk about their favorite subjects.

Maris loves DADA, herbology, and flying the most. He’s also really into arithmancy and astronomy.

Lorelei loves potions, charms, and divination. She’s good at transfiguration too.

15. Talk about their least favorite subjects.

For Maris, HoM, he just gets so bored and isn’t really a history fan.

For Lorelei, DADA, she’s just not an aggressive person by nature and is more passive in how she views the world.

16. Do they possess a broom? If not, do they have another devices that allows them to fly?

They do but they prefer to fly in their animagi forms. Maris is a belted kingfisher and Lorelei is a diving petrel.

17. What do they think about Quidditch? Are they part of the Quidditch team? If yes, in which role do they play?

Maris actually becomes seeker for Slytherin and quite good at it but he’s weirdly enough not really a fan at watching other teams. He just likes the thrill and competition but only when he’s involved.

Lorelei doesn’t care about Quidditch at all but she does watch on the days her brother plays.

18. Do they attend other club activities at school?

Maris becomes a Prefect and is the leader of the Gobstones club. He’s just as bad as his mom in leaving no survivors in the game.

Lorelei is part of the Frog Choir and is also a member of the potions club.

19. Have they developed any peculiar skill, magical or not?

Both are legilimens like their mother and animagi like their parents.

Maris is good at strategy games and enjoys muggle poker.

Lorelei is good with her hands and is actually a pretty good masseuse.

20. List five things they like.

For Maris; Intellectual stimulus, trolling people, swimming, fishing, and flying.

For Lorelei; Singing, song writing/poetry, swimming, making wind chimes, muggle aquariums.

21. List five things they dislike.

For Maris; Ignorance, blood purists, incompetency, boredom, hypocrites.

For Lorelei; Close mindedness, cruelty, assumptions, blood purists, dishonesty.

22. Have they any interest in dating? Have they a crush on someone? How do you think this someone feel about them?

Maris is a serial flirt and Lorelei believes things will happen when they happen. Haven’t thought further than that.

23. Are they able to cast a Patronus? If yes, what animal does it represent?

Yep, Maris patronus is the same as his animagus form as a kingfisher (so his form and patronus match just like his father).

Lorelei’s patronus is a moon jellyfish (so differs just like her mother).

24. What’s their greatest fear? How does it translate into their boggart?

Probably losing their parents or each other, they have a very happy childhood and would be devastated if something suddenly happened.

Boggart would be a dead loved one.

25. What’s their greatest weakness? How do they deal with it?

For Maris, probably hubris. He’s very proud of his skills and actually does work hard to maintain them so if he suddenly couldn’t succeed at something he put effort into, it would damage his esteem.

He’d turn to his mother for advice after a lot of angst because he knows that he got his overachiever attitude from her.

Lorelei’s weakness is probably passivity, as in she’s not really proactive. She’s fine with things just happening to her instead of seeking it out.

It’s mostly her brother who gets her to be more proactive, usually through brotherly teasing.

26. Is there an objective they’re trying to accomplish?

For Maris, be the top of his class and for Lorelei just graduate.

27. How do they change throughout their school years?

Maris becomes more cocky midway through but he settles down by graduation.

Lorelei becomes less dependent on her family and more comfortable with her place in the world.

28. Talk about their relationship with the other Fankids.

If anyone wants to their fankids to be friends with mine, please let me know because that would be awesome! (please)

29. Are they the “bully”, the “victim” or the “hero” of the situation?

Maris isn’t a bully per se, he’s not cruel, he just likes to tease people, but he does troll people he thinks deserves it (like bigots).

Lorelei is very accepting of people no matter their quirks so if someone needs help she’s good at making people feel good.

30. Use a meme to describe them.

Maris

Lorelei

[atargetedindividual101]

My True Story of Being Targeted

Some people won’t be happy until they’ve pushed you to the ground. What you have to do is have the courage to stand your ground and not give them the time of day. Hold on to your power and never give it away.” ― Donna Schoenrock

As an adult I became a victim of an Organize Stalking Campaign. Organize Stalking also called group stalking, community mobbing, gang stalking, Multi stalking, mobbing, is when a group of people bann together to destroy their targets life & they conn others into believing lies about you.

I started to become aware that there was a huge problem in 2014, when odd comments started popping up about me online. Before I became aware that I was being I started being gang stalked, I was well liked & very successful. I served on a Speakers Bureau, advocating for those with Mental Health disabilities. I was a professional Jewelry maker. I helped out at many Mental Health events and was very happy to do so. 

Then came the storm, a small yet powerful emotional Hurricane,

That struck like a mass of confusion.

Leaving a path of.devastation in my life & pain was all I had left.

Little did I know that there was a enemy trying to take over my life. .One of the first things I became aware of was that they showed up on several forums & an anonymous message board with false information and lies about me. Then she started a mobbing campaign against me unlike any other to destroy me and everything that I had worked so hard for, . In the same way that hurricanes and tornadoes ruin lives. Little by little, Lies & slander shattered my life, so I started feeling nothing but Anger &Pain…at the world that was acting as if I am the cause of their misery. The mobbers tried to ruin my life-not once, but many times as they made accusations that didn’t even exist.

I could not believe it as I read their lies and slander about me all over anonymous websites and forums “She’s a Scammer, a hacker, a troll, a stalker, crazy, fat, ugly, a faker, and other labels that didn’t even exist.

I tried so desperately to hide my true feelings, as they had my online shops closed down for no reason. .As they tried to stop me from going to a church summer camp.. As they contacted all my supports and; brought them into the mobbing. As my accounts were hacked over and over again. As they tried to get me evicted many times. As they filed false complaints about me, everywhere. As they got fake victims. As they fabricated evidence against me. As people’s treatment changed towards me. I couldn’t understand what I did to make people hate me so much. they encouraged everyone I came in contact with to destroy me, and spread lies about me. A smear campaign was started against me. It almost seemed as if there was one person doing it behind the scenes. They were like the wicked witch from the wizard of oz, sitting in their castle, ordering their flying monkeys to do their dirty work,

At first everyone did not believe tbe lies of the stalkers.

Then everything changed. They blamed me for it all, even though it’s not me. If only they saw what this person does behind the scenes, behind closed doors, how she minipulates other people, how she’s like a professional victim, how she professionally lies about me, trying to “link” me to all sorts of stuff that I had nothing to do with, stuff that I didn’t even know about, how she is very obsessed about me, how they gets fake witnesses or “witnesses” how they play victim how they try &; “link”; me to stuff, How they gas lights others about me & how naive “flying monkeys” believe their lies. She they keeps trying to “prove my guilt”, of stuff I would never do. And no one looks out for me anymore & it’s all because of that person. She made me think that the world was a dark and dismal place filled with bad people, who did not have my best interest at heart, and so I trusted no one as she kept finding very sneaky ways to try & falsely “connect” me to her crimes. Using my likes, dislikes, disabilities, fears & what makes me human against me. I grew more paronoid everyday as she literally had a whole community of people stalking me,

Because they have been conned into believing her lies.

People expressed their opinion of me by baiting me in whatever way they can way-by intentionally creating noise, digging up dirt on me, letting me know that I am being watched, following me, trying to isolate me, singling me out, slandering me, discrediting me, & trying to control me in many other ways too. And then when I try & voice what is happening, I get accused of being crazy. I lost my voice because of this. It saddens me that people think I am the enemy cause I am not. My life had never been easy.I had dealt with being bullied my whole life, But nothing could have ever prepared me for this. .

Yes I do have a Mental illness but there was a healthy & well side to me & someone took that side of me & filled it with abnormal experiences, altering my reality. At times it seems as if I am not in reality but what is really happening is this person is stalking me in very strange ways & I’m not even sure what all she is doing 

& it is so frightening that it impairs my perception of the world around me.

If only people saw what really went on if only….. If only they could see the constant harassment that I face by passive Agressive people. .People are so busy living out their lives that they are not seeing my side of the story.

If only people saw all the anxiety I saw because of this. Because of what has happened, I felt alone, anxious, ashamed, guilty, hopeless, overwhelmed, ugly, and unworthy.Almost every night I had dreams of being chased and or losing everything. I had panic & anxiety attacks. I had strange happenings That I can’t even explain. I lost interest in things that I love…

I stopped smiling as much. I second guessed everything in my life. I felt isolated and alone.

I am very determined to get my life back and to make this all go away so I can have days that are filled with more joy and less anxiety.

What will help me are:

People stopping this campaign against me, people giving me my voice back, & people having faith in me& them disbelieving their lies,

People can change and grow,

I don’t need to be brought down by a person who wants to ruin me,

Why let her win! I am not connected to anything she has said I did! I am a law abiding citizen! I will say that Loud & clear.

Hi, my name is Andrea and I am an advocate for people with disabilities. I started doing research on Organize Stalking and I am writing about my experience.

What I see happening is this:

Victims of mobbing & Organize Stalking being driven crazy.

people are zeroing in and making false accusations on one individual Soon lots of people start being dragged in and soon lots of people are stalking them. After I started being mobbed, I simply researched everything that was happening, and was totally misjudged because of that too.

As Dr Janice Harper says, Humans are reasonable people, but when acting collectively, they don’t always think about what’s right or wrong. All they can think about is how “angry” they are at the target, that it never occurs to them that they are going after an innocent person, and their emotions replaces reasoning and any logical thinking they may have and they follow a path that enables them to act on their emotions out of fear and anxiety and even peer pressure.

and we justify our actions as being OK, And we tell ourselves whatever lies we have to about the target that we once loved and respected, even though we may know deep inside ourselves that the rumors may be false.

Anne Frank once said that she believes that all people are good at heart, but even good people do bad things. Its important to remember that MOST mobbers‬ are not evil people. They’re just normal people that do inhumane things to others. .But what you can do is say no when others want you to join in and help educate others. Mobbing someone & gang stalking & digging up dirt on a person is never OK. You can make the choice not to join in. We all have our own skeletons somewhere in our past. We all have made mistakes and have done wrong. We all have dirt. putting someone else’s “dirt” up on thedirty .com or pastebin or any other website is never ok, when everyone has our own dirt. And when we do wrong, we suffer the consequences of our actions. We shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences twice.

It’s so wrong to put a Mentally ill person through this or anyone at all.

My message is to be kind and when you see someone being mobbed do not JOIN IN. In fact, if you know those accusations aren’t true, you can even advocate for them and help them prove their innocence. We need to look out for each other more. We need to teach everyone to speak up when we see that others are being hurt and that silence is not acceptable. If we don’t allow Mobbers & organize stalkers

to destroy others, it’ll quickly stop.

.

[masterdungeonguide]

Adventure Ideas #1

This is a lose idea for adventure. Not a perfectly fluent ready to run module. A mere sketch if you will.

For convenience of use, should a DM want to reference this straight from the web, the order of description is somewhat un-natural for reading placing the location up top and the backstories and plots at the bottom of this post.

Lets get on with it...

The Cave Of The Invisible Ugly

Somewhere in the wildlands not very far from simple civilisations of farmers and foresters some streams come together and dissapear under ground and have carved out natural caves over the ages.

It has hosted many different inhabitants mostly animals and some times small bands of creatures.

In recent times from two unlikely events the inhabitants are somewhat different and are tied to a wave of dissapearing items in nearby homes.

There are three possible ways to enter and exit this cave to the outdoor levels. At 1) working ones way down the pond falls to a room. At 6) where the dryed out stream came in from the north-west, and through the small grass covered window that leads straight down to Orvar's work-shop.

1 Main Entrance Chamber

The small stream from the south west trickles down over some grey bare stones into a small pond that sits at the edge of a round cave room. The floor is a flat moist surface of brown sediment that has filled much up what was once flooded with water.

There is a good chance a perceptive character can spot tracks of footsteps in it. Most from troglodyte leaving and comming. Shoe prints from Orvar having done the same and from animals who hide here from time to time.

The former lead inwards to and from some carefully placed stones that make a low staircase up to the passage.

Possible encounters:

A scouting troglodyte is just passing trhough here and will be startled at the adventurers presence

A predator animal is feasting on a cadaver in the cave room that may react violently

2 High Passage

Leading upwards this tunnel ends in a small climb up to a ground above right next to the wooden door. It's easily spotted from tracks and the clearing of boulders that this path has been frequently used. It is the alternative walk around to a wade through a pond at the other end of it.

A small drop in the middle of the passage leads to a low natural cave room. A DC 20 to climb up and out of but not a hard one to jump down into. You may place abducted prisoners and or corpse here. Victims of the raiding troglodyte outlaws.

3 Underground Pond

A very deep underground pond fills most of this place and a stream comming out of the cave wall in the west leads into it. The chamber is damp and drips from the ceiling. A layer of cold mist is in the air.

Explorers may be greeted by a disturbing site in the form of floating body parts. This is where the band of troglodytes often dispose of bodies they dragged in and are done looting. Most sink and stay at the bottom but sometimes fresh ones float up.

At the bottom quite a few valuables can be found still on the corpses however. The band only know so much of what to value. Holy symbols, spell books and other sofisticated items would have been ignored.

One has to swim or wade along the very edges of the cave walls to get across.

If a challenge is desired here the troglodyte band of outcasts has brought a creature from the deeps to help consume the bodies they dump into it.

A jellyfish like being of the under deep lakes from their realm that blindly consumes anything that it detects through smell.

A squall of purple big water leaches that suck every surface clean of organic tissue.

4 Dryed Out Water Shaft

This is to where the more rich streams of water flowed down in the past. A deep drop into the dark is at the center and a clear drafts of air can be heard from below. It's an absurd climb down and up but not impossible.

The troglodytes came up this way using root-ropes and a lifetime of climbing experience.

Should the adventures chose to dare these depts they first end up in a vast network of natural caves hard to navigate and still a far way from the realm of the toglodytes. This new adventure will not be covered here but up to the creativeness of the DM.

This largest open area around the deep pit from where they came is still where the bandits from below make their primary living quarters. Sleeping matts, containers, tools and such can be seen stacked up towards the walls. Some bizare game squares is marked near and around the pit. (Where the troglodytes plays a game of 'live or die' with live catches of animals). In day times most of the troglodytes are here passing time. At night fewer stay put as some are out scouting the surface and their leader is off on 'unseen' affairs with the nearby settlements.

5 Storage

A small cave chamber that used to flood completely before the dry out. The band of troglodytes use this far 'back room' to store valuables in one corner and food reserves in another. It stinks! From the food and from the blood that they did not bother wipe from some of the takings.

6 Dried Out Stream

This is the least likely entrance to the cave-complex but maybe a useful exit. A narrow tunnel leads off for a long while and eventually blends in to the layer of soil above that can be dug through. On a rainy day with some sliding soil by cheer absurd luck an adventurer could posible sink through enough with a wrong step to realise something is there.

7 Orvar's Home

A thick wodden door set againt crudely adjusted natural rock and sediment distinguishes the one entrance to this place from the others in the cave complex. A small window leading straight out into luch hillside above, it's other entrance (one of three possible ways for adventurers to find this cave complex). The place is modestly furnished but makes up a comfortable living area. Part of it closest to the widow is a tight combination of a small library and herb collections with a sturdy messy desk.

Consider the content of this place an equivalent to a component pouch of a spell-caster and the books as a source to various low level spells and how to make them into potions. If you wish some ready minor potions are available on the desk as well.

Depending on how the outcasts came across Orvars medallion the state he is in (dead, captured, barricaded in, or perhaps fled) his home could be broken into and ruined or just ignored or unable to break through.

PC's who have come here with prior knowlege of Orvars tale may find it peculiar to be furnished for two. As if to hint he has a regular guest. There are two beds and two sets of almost everything.

The Tale Of Orvar And Astelle

In a small settlement with tightnitted folks on the border of the forests they once had master spin weaver of very old age. Although well appreciated for her crafts she was somewhat feared and kept at distance for her nasty manners and hot temper.

Nobody had ever seen her with male company and though well past such age one winter to everyones big surprise she came to be pregant.

In the early spring the same year she gave birth to a truly hideous child.

So hideous, and more hideous as the years went by, that people started talking of it not being all human. Trolls, Hobgoblins and even Demons came to peoples mind. While the weaver had named him Orvar behind his back he came to be known as Gobman The Hiddeous. Distrusted and avoided by all.

Just a year later than The Master Spin-Weaver a jolly and respected forester familly also had a child. A pleasant charming daughter. Her Name was Astelle. The irresistable child loved by all.

By coincidence the foresters cottage lay only a few steps off from the weavers house where Orvar grew up and with no one else of the same age Orvar and Astelle played as friends in secret.

Well aware even as children the dislike the grown ups would have had to this acquaintance.

They grew very fond of each other, gave each other gifts for hollidays and left letters under a rock in their secret place. Astelle learning the foresting would bring materials and Orvar would know many crafts to form them.

No one knew how but from somewhere the hideous man also over the years picked up certain darker crafts like that of whitches and wizards. Particularly he was blamed for being able to walk unseen.

One could think that he merely granted them their wishes. To not have to look upon him but this only served to deepen the fear and distrust for him.

On one unfortunate evening when they were young adults and still the best of friends in secret they were after all these years spotted playing. It was immediately assumed this monstrosity of a man were chasing after fair Astelle with a romantic interest and there was outrage.

In the craze of vengence while some wanted to lock the abomination up, others to chase him away, a few sough to end his life, the master spin-weaver was slain refusing to let them in to her house while Astelle in secret helped Orvar to escape the towns wrath. Fleeing to the woodlands that she knew well and a to take refuge in a well hidden cave complex that she had found years earlier.

The spin-weavers son was never seen again but some year later suspicions of invisible stalkers and burglars have lead peoples mind to wonder if he is really gone.

Medalion Of The Unseen

A potent trinket that you as a DM may want to consider carefully before allowing into your PC's hands if you run this idea at level one. It is not without limitations however and those limitations are stronger the weaker the players saves are (effectively with level).

It's origin is not defined.

Is Orvar origin really of troll heritage and has the medallion been given by those mysterious creatures of the forest? Was the weaver a powerful witch with foresight to put her powers into this item to protect what she new would be a child to hide? I leave this to the reader as I aim to inspire creativity and flexibility.

When worn if one covers up it's field of view with ones hand the wearer dissapears from visibility of any kind in the world. Magic, divine or natural perceptions are all blind to the wearers prescence.

Made out of crude wood and artisticly flawed metal working this medallion portrays an eye.

The catch is; The eye want's to see and it will fight back to do so!

It burns the wearers hand and mind in a fire of pain that grows over time. Causing both constitution and wisdom saves that starts at a mild DC 10 but increases in difficulty for every 5 rounds. (The save has to be made every round but only increases at those intervals.)

An observant reader may note from below that our proposed stats for Orvar have him at abysmal constitution and mediocre wisdom. Orvar is used to the pain since he was a toddler however and should be treated as both always having advantage on the rolls and fight it at a reduced DC. (You may opt for a similar approach if a PC carries and uses this item over a period of years)

The Troglodyte Outcasts

Deep down far below our cave and away from mines of dwarves and gnomes there is a vast network. The realm of the troglodytes.

Alien in morals and customs to the races under the sky above but not without norms these deep dwellers form clans under a high chief. What they would call something of a 'familly' is in fact the whole realm.

Not long ago a very ambisious member of the realm betrayed the sacred rules of allegiance to ruling sisterhood. The queens of the realm. In his ambition to gain more influence he and a small group of allies murdered and hid one of the chosen females with the intent to replace her with one in his own sphere of allies. A female who like so many failed to qualify to the sisterhood.

The plot was uncovered and the conspiring group were forced to flee for their lives. In this vast realm only one direction could offer sanctity. Up. To the realm under the sky.

By chance these group of murderous traitors crossed path with an other outcast. One mistrusted for his appearance and his mothers reputation alone.

What came of this meeting is yet to be uncovered.

A conflict or an understanding of mutual benefits?

In any case the band of troglodyte outcasts and it's ambitious leader are in posession of a an amulette of invisibility. One that they use to raid nearby settlements. For items and riches and to abduct people. All the while the suspicions are directed towards The Ugly Who Could Walk Unseen that dissapeared some years ago. Is that monster back to take vengence?

Note: that these suggested creatures are our Troglodytes and as should be obvious not the MM ones. Here is another post on them:

https://masterdungeonguide.tumblr.com/post/178192126310/creatures-treassures-alien-realms-in-the

You can of course swap them out for something else that you think would fit the concept

Common Troglodyte Outcast: Armour: 'Medium' Scaly Hide, made out of deep dwelling worm-skin. Weapons: Bone Spears, Bone clubs, and bone Daggers (-1)Speed: 25, Hits: 1d6/level, Attack Bonus: +3

...

- All content in this post is free to use and distribute as desired. Even re-publish on your own game spot in any fashion that does not seek to profit from it. Crediting us is appreciated

- If anyone is interested this adventure was sketched out using Bamboo Paper on and iPad

Happy gaming!

[lunarlooroo]

Psst psst for the prompt: Could we have a jealous!Snape with the twins egging him on?

Seems like jealous Sev is rather popular, this is the second prompt I’ve gotten for him. Sorry for being rather late with this week’s ficlet, was pretty busy with the Lunar New Year. I tried to make it shortish, but well, here, have 2k words of plot with a dash of feels.

“Thanks again for this,” Heather giving Severus a quick peck, “I know how much you hate crowds.”

He sighed, questioning again why he had agreed to this. “A decision I am sure to regret.”

Smiling, Heather shook her head. “Probably, which is why I’m thanking you for going anyway. Now come on, Mrs Weasley is expecting us.”

With a quick turn, they disapparated.

Landing on the soft grass a small way away from the Burrow, Severus kept his hold firm on Heather’s arm. He had long gotten into the habit of steadying her through all sorts of wizarding transport. She had gotten somewhat better over the years. Somewhat.

He could hear the sounds of festivities from all the way here already. The Weasleys were a noisy bunch on any given day, but much more so when they had something to celebrate. And the wedding of self-proclaimed lifelong bachelor Charles Weasley was certainly a cause for celebration.

Molly had mostly given up hope for her dragon-loving son to even go for a date, believing he was simply uninterested in such things. That was, of course, when Charles went to a Sunday dinner with not one, but two partners, announcing his long-term relationship with both. She had been over the moon, of course, fussing over them with the ease of someone used to picking up strays.

Severus himself had never met them, but Heather said that they were very well-suited to Charles. For one thing, they both had the same mad passion for dragons he did. One of them, a witch, was another dragon tamer while the other, a wizard, was a healer for the dragons.

He wished Charles well for his bonding, of course. He had been one of the least troublesome of the Weasley brood, after Percy. However, he was far from looking forward to the loud and messy affair that would be the wedding. No doubt there would be an endless sea of redheads to wade through just to reach his seat.

How was he supposed to have declined Heather’s invitation though, when she looked at him with those wide eyes of hers and asked so earnestly? Quite honestly, she hadn’t even had to try hard to persuade him.

He was going soft in his old age.

“Oh, I see Fred and George!” Heather looked at him questioningly, giving him a choice.

He gave her hand a squeeze before nodding towards the twins. “I shall try to locate the refreshments table and meet you there,” he said, raising his voice slightly to be heard over all the background chatter.

A sweet smile graced her face. “Okay, I’ll see you.” Then she slipped her arm from his and ducked into the crowd. It amazed him that she had even found anyone among the throngs of people. She had probably used her magic to sense them.

Fortunately, the stride he had mastered for the sole purpose of getting students in his path to jump out of his way worked on the various guests and Weasley relatives as well. The forbidding expression he wore only helped speed things along.

“Severus, you made it!” Arthur, standing by the punch bowl, waved him over.

“Arthur,” he said, nodding in greeting, “Quite a party this is.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet. Wait until Aunt Muriel gets here. She doesn’t know Charlie’s marrying both Darcy and Vance.” The man looked entirely unconcerned that the old woman was undoubtedly going to be stirring trouble as soon as the ceremony started.

Seeing the look on his face, the older man said, “Oh don’t worry, she’s all bark and no bite. Besides, Bill will be around to keep her appeased. He always was her favourite.”

Well, it was hardly his concern. Might even make the whole affair more interesting. He gestured towards the drinks, remembering what he was here for.

“Oh, go ahead! Don’t worry, it isn’t spiked. I’ve been standing guard the whole time.”

He paused slightly at the comment, having not considered it before. Fred and George were in attendance, after all. He also knew that if they were determined to tamper with anything, a watchful eye would do nothing to stop them.

“…Or we have some unopened bottle of Butterbeer in storage, if you would prefer,” Arthur said sheepishly.

At that statement, the twin menaces popped into the scene.

“What trust out father has-”

“-truly, we are offended.”

“Would we really make trouble-”

“-at our own brother’s wedding?”

Arthur looked at his sons in exasperation. “Boys, you would. You have. Or do you not remember Percy’s?”

“Ahh, good times. But we’re changed men!”

“On our best behaviour today, we are!”

“Not a lick of trouble.”

“Except for the hippogriff, of course.”

“Wait, what hippogriff?!” Arthur asked, panicked.

“Not in the shed, that’s for sure,” both chimed innocuously.

The man paled before running off.

Fred and George high fived, cackling as they did so.

“There is no hippogriff, is there?” Severus said, stating the obvious. He merely raised a brow as one of them blatantly emptied a phial of bright red liquid into the punch bowl. They waited for him to comment on it, but he stayed out of it.

“Is Heather not with you?” he asked instead.

“She sent us to come find you-”

“-since you were taking so long.”

“Since my task here was to retrieve drinks,” he said looking at the punch bowl pointedly, “I suppose there is no point dawdling. Where did you see her last?”

“Sorry,” they said with utter insincerity. “Come on, then!”

The unrepentant brats. He clucked his tongue and followed their lead.

They wove through the mass of people with the ease of having grown up in a crowded and cluttered home. Severus noticed that the area they led to had a thinner crowd.

“Oh, eww,” Fred said, stopping suddenly.

George looked in the same direction his brother was. “Damn, who invited him?”

Severus was intrigued by the turn of events. It was rare for the two to genuinely dislike someone, but they seemed quite disgusted by whomever they were referring to.

“Oh no, the slimy git’s gunning for Heather!”

Sure enough, Severus finally caught sight of Heather, and the mysterious ‘slimy git’ the twins were talking about. He was surprised to see that it was a wizard whom most would describe ‘handsome’. He had the classic blue eyes and coiffed blond hair, looking disturbing like a Malfoy, smarm and all.

The two Weasley turned to him expectantly. “Well, what are you doing just-”

“-standing here? Get in there!”

“Before the stuck-up ponce puts his-”

“-moves on your lady!”

Severus scoffed. “Do not be preposterous. They are simply having a conversation.” Besides, Heather wasn’t one to be taken in by simple appearances.

George flapped his arms about in agitation. “You don’t get it! That’s Derek, our cousin-”

“Twice-removed!” Fred added, sneering.

“and he’s the most uppity bastard we know!”

“Including Malfoy!”

“But he can act like Prince Charming when-”

“-trying to woo a girl.”

“He’s a real rake, he is!”

“You are both ridiculous. Heather has too much sense to be fooled by such a man.” He knew for a fact that Heather quite disliked such self-styled Lotharios. Scars from her run-ins with Lockhart, most likely.

Fred’s lifted a brow, pointing in their direction. “Oh, is that so?”

To his horror, Heather and the man were standing far closer than was usual for new acquaintances, in avid discussion. She was gesturing animatedly, clearly interested in whatever they were talking about.

Like grindylows scenting blood, they pounced on his moment of hesitation.

“Come on Severus! Go show Derek who’s boss!”

“You need to rescue Heather from his evil manicured clutches!”

“Perhaps they are having an intellectual debate,” he muttered.

The twins both snorted.

“Oh please. Derek wouldn’t know intellectual-”

“-if you hit him in the face with it then forced it down his throat.”

When the man’s hand snuck out to rest on Heather’s arm was when Severus broke. He made a beeline for them, the anger in his strides making the surrounding people practically apparate out of his way.

Behind him, he could hear the blasted redheads hooting encouragement at him. He realised that he had been baited, but he was much too irritated to care. He would ream them out later.

Heather had her back to him as he approached, so it was the other man who saw him first. The ugly sneer that marred his face showed that he knew who Severus was.

“What is that Deatheater doing here?”

By Merlin, even his voice was grating.

Immediately, Severus could see that line of Heather’s shoulder’s tense. Without looking, he knew her expression would have frozen over, eyes flashing dangerously. She had never liked it when that word was used against him, even, or especially, by himself.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Heather asked, smiling coldly, “I couldn’t hear you over all that noise.”

The idiot clearly couldn’t take a hint. He repeated what he said earlier, adding more colourful invective to his diatribe. Severus could practically feel the fury rolling off of Heather, though the other man was not nearly as perceptive. He didn’t bother trying to intervene, knowing Heather wouldn’t be stopped when she got this angry. Severus wasn’t really bothered by such insults himself, but he knew Heather could get rather impassioned about them. He would simply remain silent and watch the show.

“Look, David, was it?” Heather said, cutting him off in the middle of his rant.

“It’s Derek, actually,” he corrected, scowling.

“Dick,” Heather said, mishearing on purpose, “I believe you are mistaken. This is Severus Snape, Potions Master, Order of Merlin Second Class and my partner.”

“Are you sure the likes of him can be trusted with your business? Wouldn’t you prefer a more respectable man?” Such as myself, he didn’t have to say. The man shot Severus a condescending look.

Heather tilted her head mockingly. “I’m afraid I should have been clearer. Severus is my business partner, yes, but he is also my partner in a more personal sense. I understand that someone like you would feel intimidated when faced with a man as brilliant as Severus is, but there is no need to lash out with insults.”

The man was sputtering in outrage by this point, though Heather gave him no room to interject.

“I’m sure you could be a charming enough man, provided you tone down on all your more distasteful character traits, of course. Might I suggest you start with your hubris and ignorance? Of course, your problems of a more intimate nature can be easily solved with a simple Virility or Stamina Potion, both of which we sell at our shop for a very modest price.”

The idiot didn’t seem to comprehend the meaning of those words at first, but he eventually caught on. Severus watched with great amusement as his face grew Weasley red, the only familial resemblance he had seen thus far.

“Well, it’s been a pleasure, Dick,” Heather lied, bald-faced, while smiling guilelessly. Some people in the crowd who had gathered around them during the conversation snickered, not bothering to temper the sound.

Having just realised that they had an audience, the Lockhart-lookalike ducked his head in furious shame and scampered off with his tail tucked between his legs.

Beside him, Heather shook her head. They left the crowd behind, finding a more secluded spot before she started talking. “What an idiot. Can you believe the nerve of that man? You know he tried to explain to me the wonderful ‘new discovery’ of Runic Potions? A very abridged version, of course, since a mere witch like me couldn’t possibly understand the subtle intricacies required.”

“You looked like you were enjoying yourself before I arrived,” he said, as neutrally as he could.

She stilled a little at that, watching him carefully as she said, “Well, I was. It was actually rather hilarious listening to him make a fool of himself. I wonder how he’s going to react at the next Potions Conference when he sees me present my findings. I can’t believe he’s actually an apprentice.”

Severus felt rather silly for his earlier jealousy. “Ah, well, you have always tolerated dunderheads better than I,” he said stiltedly.

“Severus,” she said slowly, “is something the matter?”

“Nothing of the sort. Thank you for your fervent defence in my favour. You needn’t have bothered, however, as such people will think whatever they wish and no words from you could change them.”

Heather scoffed at that. “That doesn’t mean I have to stand there and let him fling insults at you! It’s infuriating that so many people still think the worst of you, even after all you’ve done.”

At this, Severus couldn’t help but smile. He truly didn’t mind what other people thought, so long as the people close to him knew what kind of man he was.

Even as a student, Heather had seen him for who he was. As a spy, he’d rarely been able to be himself, always being careful to check his every action, every word. Time spent in private with Heather, however, had always been when he was the most genuine.

Suddenly overcome with gratitude, he brought Heather close and placed a gentle kiss on her brow. He was not usually one for public displays, but he felt it was due here.

He could tell Heather was bemused by the sudden gesture, but she probed no further. Instead, they re-joined the party, hand in hand.

[casscutting]

Best and Worst Reads of 2019

Let’s talk about books baby…

Before I get into my favorite and least favorite reads of 2019 I want to talk about the rating system that I adopted halfway through the year. I now use the CAWPILE method which I got from G. over at Book Roast on Youtube though I’ve changed it some.

CAWPILE breaks down a book into 7 different categories:

C = Characters Backstory Growth Arc Did you feel like you knew them? Were you invested? A = Atmosphere World Building W = Writing Style Did you like the Writing Style? P = Plot Did you like the plot? Were you able to follow it? I = Immersion Did the book keep your attention? Did you want to keep reading? L = Logic Did things make sense to you in the context of the story? E = Enjoyment Did you enjoy this book?

Now here’s where I made changes G. rates each section out of 10 then does some math to make it fit into the Goodreads 0-5 start scale. I, on the other hand, wanted something more simple so I rate my categories out of 5 stars then add each section up then divide by 7 (because there are 7 categories) For example:

Here is my break down of The Young Queens by Kendare Blake, which I loved but wasn’t one of my fav’s of the year.

C = Characters 3 Stars A = Atmosphere 5 Stars W = Writing Style 5 Stars P = Plot 5 Stars I = Immersion  5 Stars L = Logic  5 Stars E = Enjoyment  5 Stars = 33 out of 35 33 devided by 7 is 4.712% which makes my raiting for the book a 4.75 out of 5 stars.

I wanted to start off this post by going over my favorite and least books of 2019, let’s start chronologically with my favorites:

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire 5 out of 5 stars

This is the fourth installment in the Wayward Children series or novellas. For those that don’t know these books follow children that have made their way into portal worlds like Oz and Wonderland but have for one reason or another been spit back out into our world. The kids usually cant readjust so they are sent to special boarding schools. The one school, in particular, is Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. The first three played off each other whereas this one we follow a child we haven’t met in other books. If fact this book takes place years before the first three books in the series.

In an Absent Dream follows Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.

When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise. Alas, everything costs at the goblin market, and when her time there is drawing to a close, she makes the kind of bargain that never plays out well.

NOTE* I read this book prior to adopting my new rating system but I think my rating would be somewhere between 4.5-5 stars with my new system.

The Savior's Champion by Jenna Moreci 5 out of 5 stars both times with a CAWPILE rating of 35

This is a self-published book that in my opinion would rival any traditionally published work. The Savior's Champion is the first in a series of which I can’t wait for more to come out... This story had me hooked from the first chapter which I read before it came out in 2018. I got this book on Audio and the narrator Nick Denton, who is a sweetheart by the way, is amazing.

This book follows Tobias Kaya doesn't care about The Savior. He doesn't care that She's the Ruler of the realm or that She purified the land, and he certainly doesn't care that She's of age to be married. But when competing for Her hand proves to be his last chance to save his family, he's forced to make The Savior his priority.

Now Tobias is thrown into the Sovereign's Tournament with nineteen other men, and each of them is fighting -- and killing -- for the chance to rule at The Savior's side. Instantly his world is plagued with violence, treachery, and manipulation, revealing the hidden ugliness of his proud realm. And when his circumstances seem especially dire, he stumbles into an unexpected romance, one that opens him up to unimaginable dangers and darkness.

Trigger warning: this novel contains graphic violence, adult language, and sexual situations.

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons 5 out of 5 stars both times with a CAWPILE rating of 35

This is the first book in a high fantasy series (or trilogy I don’t really know which lol) The story grabbed me right away but it did take a second to get used to because you are following Kihrin through two parts of his life and the story jumps from the past to the present throughout the book. I listened to this book on audio and it was amazing. The THREE narrators (Vikas Adam (Kihrin), Feodor Chin (Thurvishar), and Soneela Nankani (Talon)) were amazing and I only hope book 2 and eventually book 3 will have the same VOA’s

Kihrin grew up in the slums of Quur, a thief and a minstrel's son raised on tales of long-lost princes and magnificent quests. When he is claimed against his will as the missing son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds himself at the mercy of his new family's ruthless power plays and political ambitions.

Practically a prisoner, Kihrin discovers that being a long-lost prince is nothing like what the storybooks promised. The storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, and how the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe he isn't the hero after all. For Kihrin is not destined to save the world.

He's destined to destroy it.

Now on to the ones you really care about, I know you just skipped to this part…

I only had three disappointing reads this year and one of them was a re-try that I had DNFed when I got the ARC.

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart DNFed AGAIN

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat. Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. A bad romance, or maybe three. Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains. A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her. A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

I first got this book as an ARC back before it came out (obviously)  I got 50 pages in and I wanted to rip my hair out that’s how much I was disliking it. So I thought that maybe Mystery-Thrillers weren’t for me. But now having a few under my belt and I’m liking these genres I’d give it another go especially since some of my favorite book bloggers and booktubers really enjoyed it.

Oh boy was I WRONG. I made it to that same spot and wanted to rip my hair out but I thought no keep going maybe it will get better. Wrong again, the MC was bland and boring and found myself wishing she would adopt a good personality or really any personality at all would be a vast improvement over who she was portraying at any given time. I didn’t care about the plot or her backstory or why she was hiding.

So I DNFed this book for a second time at around 100 pages.

The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way 1 out of 5 stars

In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world."

These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.

This may have been partly my fault because I watched the Netflix adaptation before I knew the source material existed. I LOVED the show, it is hands down one of my new favorites but the graphic novel wasn’t well put together. I have been reading graphic novels and comics my whole life and I know you’re not getting a novel with dialogue and story spelled out for you. I know that there is a harmony between what is written and the art but the artist had to work twice as hard to convey the story. What little written word was there wasn’t the best.

I did like the art style it was fun and really the only thing that kept me going thought out this volume. I won’t continue in the series as far as the graphic novel is concerned but I am highly anticipating the next season of the show.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 2 out of 5 stars

When Dorothy and her little dog Toto are caught in a tornado, they and their Kansas farmhouse are suddenly transported to Oz, where Munchkins live, monkeys fly and Wicked Witches rule. Desperate to return home, and with the Wicked Witch of the West on their trail, Dorothy and Toto - together with new friends the Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion - embark on a fantastic quest along the Yellow Brick Road in search of the Emerald City. There they hope to meet the legendary, all-powerful Wizard of Oz, who alone may hold the power to grant their every wish.

I grew up with both the movies and had been a huge fan since childhood. The filmmakers took a lot of successful liberties with this story and were able to convey everything so much better than Baum. My least favorite part was the Witches of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West she seemed more like a stern grandmother than an evil witch, though she had her moments with the Tin Man, Lion, and the Scarecrow.

But I will continue in the series because it is a goal of mine to read them all.

[tempest-loupnoir]

Really long character survey

Tagged by @sirgyrodegearloose I don't know 10 roleplayers to tag, and this is so long I'm not ask anyone to put in the time, hehe. BASICS. FULL NAME : Alexandra Dragora Calandrina NICKNAME : Lexi AGE : 20 BIRTHDAY : ETHNIC GROUP : Pekin duck NATIONALITY : Romanian LANGUAGE / S : English (that’s woefully all the mun is fluent in), French, Romanian SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Demi straight ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Demi RELATIONSHIP STATUS : dating CLASS : witch. Upper middle in Transylvania but in Calisota, she does not have much, so she lives with her aunt. HOME TOWN / AREA : Marmatia (made up town), Transylvania CURRENT HOME : living with her aunt, Letitia Weyard PROFESSION : Student/witch PHYSICAL. HAIR : black, falls to the middle of her shoulder blades EYES : Blue sclera like any Pekin duck. Violet irises NOSE : Orange beak. It's slightly shorter than Donald Duck's FACE : Uh… round? Covered in feathers? LIPS : See nose COMPLEXION : Pristine white feathers. BLEMISHES : mole on her back that stays hidden under her clothes. SCARS : she has played with fire, fenced with a sword, shot arrows, rode horse back, climbed trees, played with baby dragons and a shape shifting wolf and numerous other creatures as a kid, so she has some faint shiny scars under her feathers. TATTOOS : None. HEIGHT : hm. Scrooge is three feet, so that makes Fenton Crackshell close to four feet? I think of Lexi as being about Fenton/Drake Mallard's height, so she is tall for a female duck but still tiny compared to most other inhabitants in the duckverse. WEIGHT : Scrooge is twenty pounds. Lexi is taller but not as muscular as he is so I guess she would be about twenty pounds too. BUILD : trim FEATURES : Big blue sclera, shiny long hair that usually has a small braid holding it away from her face (thank you, Goku-San for the idea), usualky smiling. ALLERGIES : some mushrooms and flowers like lilies make her sneeze. Some animal saliva makes her break out but she knows how to treat her reactions. USUAL HAIR STYLE : small braid holding hair away from her eyes. Usually down and loose but may be tied back in a pony tail or loose bun. She experiments with different hair styles USUAL FACE LOOK : Curious USUAL CLOTHING : at home, she usually wears like dark gothic dresses or warm sweaters and jeans. In Calisota, she's been wearing sundresses, t-shirts and jeans, and whatever else is available to her from throft shops or hand-me-downs from her aunt. PSYCHOLOGY. FEAR / S : Failure, loss, ridicule ASPIRATION / S: make her parents proud, be someone's hero, find someone who can be her own hero and emotional support, become respected in the wizarding community, create a new signature spell nobody else knows, POSITIVE TRAITS : Generally cheerful and bubbly, inquisitive, independent thinker, kind, creative, motherly NEGATIVE TRAITS : Easily intimidated, can become stubborn and irrational when protecting someone, shuts down mentally or faints when overly stressed, sometimes uses too much energy, makes rash decisions to protect friends MBTI : ISFP Introvert(6%)  Sensing(3%)  Feeling(59%)  Perceiving(22%) (x) ZODIAC : Virgo TEMPERAMENT : Sanguine? Doesn't really describe her well (x) SOUL TYPE / S : Helper, Creator, Spiritualist (x) ANIMALS : penguin? (x) VICE HABIT / S : major sweet tooth, picks at her fingernails when she is nervous, may go without eating if she is too stressed FAITH : Christian GHOSTS ? : Has seen some AFTERLIFE ? : yes REINCARNATION ? : Not without magic ALIENS ? : Yes? POLITICAL ALIGNMENT : totally confused by them. ECONOMIC PREFERENCE : ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ SOCIOPOLITICAL POSITION : Everyone deserves to be treated with basic decency. Beyond that, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ EDUCATION LEVEL : finished high school. Still in wizarding college FAMILY. FATHER : Azkadell Calandrina MOTHER : Evilene Weyard SIBLINGS : a twin brother in the Negaverse. None in the Darkwing universe EXTENDED FAMILY : too many to list. Magica and Poe De Spell are cousins. Letitia Weyard, Sergei Calandrina, more to be added once they are named. NAME MEANING / S : "defender, protector" HISTORICAL CONNECTION ? : her great great grandmother was one of the weird sisters King MacBeth took advice from FAVOURITES. BOOK : The Shadow Within (Light of Eidon series) MOVIE: Beauty and the Beast 5 SONGS : "End Of The Line" "When You Believe" "Carol of the Bells/Bells of Notre Dame" "Go The Distance" "I Want To Know What Love Is" DEITY : Jehovah HOLIDAY : It was Easter but I think Halloween will become her favorite once she understands it. MONTH : June SEASON : Spring PLACE : Wherever her best friends are WEATHER : partly cloudy and breezy. She loves sunshine but she's sensitive to light and heat. She loves feeling the wind in her feathers. For her, 62 degrees F would probably feel warm. She is learning to appreciate 80 degrees and sunshine. SOUND : epic music, birds in the trees, laughter SCENT / S : Freshly cut grass, conifers, baked goods, the sweet scent of her wolf's fur TASTE / S : Fresh fruit, anything sweet or salty and savory FEEL / S : (I'm not sure I understand this one). Um...the silky texture of her hair as she plays with it ANIMAL / S : canines, gryphons, otters, NUMBER : 7 COLOUR : purple EXTRA. TALENTS : She's an empath. She physically feels the emotional and even physical pain of others, to the point that she can become incapacitated by the stress. She also can get glimpses of a person's personality by touching them and connecting with them telepathically. Rarely she will get a brief, blurry glimpse of the future, but she never knows the time frame for that occurrence. She can turn any object to flowers, or set it on fire. She can teleport objects and ride a broom (badly as she does not have a good sense of balance). She's studied hard to learn how to heal wounds and illnesses. BAD AT : Dancing, gullible, naïve, easily distracted, ignoring her empathy to focus on solving problems, time management, hiding her emotions, lying, TURN ONS : Not getting into that here. TURN OFFS : Not getting into this either. HOBBIES : equestrian, archery, playing with animals, flying around on her broom, dabbling in arts and crafts. TROPES : Morality Pet, Action Girlfriend/borderline Protective Girlfriend, borderline She Loves You and Everyone (she has limits. Some villains are unlovable, as she found out the hard way), Magical Girl AESTHETIC TAGS : purple, blue, wolves, starry nights, frozen north, California dreaming, goth, witch, DuckTales, Darkwing Duck, Magica DeSpell, Morgana Macawber, empath, GPOY QUOTES : what is GPOY? FC INFO. MAIN FC / S : I don't know what any of this means? ALT FC / S : ? OLDER FC / S : ? YOUNGER FC / S : ? VOICE CLAIM / S : Liz Callaway perhaps? GENDERBENT FC / S : Don’t have one MUN QUESTIONS. Q1 : If you could write your character your way in their own movie , what would it be called , what style would it be filmed in , and what would it be about ? A1 : As much as I'd love to toss her into the DuckTales universe, I think most of the main cast would be wary of her. She does look a little like their adversary Magica De Spell, and magic can cause even more problems than it solves. She would be fun to pit against Gizmoduck, as she'd spend most of her time trying to fix his blunders and protect him from real threats while he is giving his speeches about justice. I think her current storyline (young woman leaves oppressive home environment in pursuit of self discovery and happiness and makes friends and enemies in her new foreign environment) is pretty much the type of movie I would put her in. A cross between the aesthetics and look of Tangled, with the adventures from Aladdin the series would be ideal for Lexi. Q2 : What would their soundtrack / score sound like ? A2 : Lots of moody piano and strings, with deep drumming. Sort of like the Legend of Zelda or Eragon soundtrack, but with some light hearted, playful riffs like Tuomas Holopanien included in "Duel & Cloudscapes" in the album "Music Inspired by The Life and Times of Scrooge" Q3 : Why did you start writing this character ? A3 : I created her with the help of a friend on Skype back in 2013. Originally she was going to be an immediate relative of Magica DeSpell, but once I found out Magica has nieces and cousins like Minima and Matilda, I revamped Lexi. My friend Sasha came up with the nickname "Lexi" since it sounds playful and can be a pun on Hex. Q4 : What first attracted you to this character ? A4 : I love her personality. She's bubbly, optimist, and genuinely caring about both people and animals, and that is someone I would love to be friends with in real life. She's confident and motivated enough to teleport to her friends' side and fight their battles with them, but humble enough that she would never dream of seeking glory and fame. Q5 : Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse. A5 : She cares too much and has too little self confidence. She lets her parents' opinions of her and other people weigh her down, and make her feel weak and useless. Good grief! Q6 : What do you have in common with your muse ? A6 : Empathy and low self esteem. She is basically a super powered, much more motivated and outgoing, smarter, more optimistic version of me. Her roller coaster emotions come from me and so do many of her personal interests. Like I said before, I'd love to be best friends with her in real life, but I think my habits, silence, and negative feelings would adversely affect her and she would have a hard time being around me. Q7 : How does your muse feel about you ? A7 : She would probably be torn between wanting to kick my keister and hug and comfort me most of the time. Q8 : What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ? A8 : Offline, Lexi has become friends with Darkwing Duck, Launchpad McQuack, Bushroot, @freddiebuckster 's character Harmonizer, my OC Agent Carol Torres, another friend's SHUSH Agent and pilot OC plus that pilot's Negaverse version, Negaduck, Magica and Poe De Spell, etc. I think one of my favorite odd interactions was with an older, frail Negaduck who no longer felt the need to murder or steal. He was just a cranky, achey old duck who had never known friendship or kindness. Lexi was very motherly with him, tending to his injuries, and providing him with clothes and food before taking him back to her friends. She has a similar motherly relationship with Bushroot, providing him with an enchanted charm that gives him back his original human appearance for a few hours at a time. Online, she is still developing her friendships and relationships. She has a very sweet relationship with her boyfriend, and his friends. She tries to prevent him from making mistakes and she tries to fix things when he does mess up, but she finds his cheerfulness and reckless bravery so endearing that she can't help wanting to be around him. He helps her recharge and relax when she's overwhelmed by stress from school studies or from empathizing too long. They care about and rejuvenate each other. Q9 : What gives you inspiration to write your muse ? A9 : Listening to movie and game soundtracks, and reading over past roleplays. I also have a list of roleplay ideas I'd like to do with her. She's one of my main muses so it is usually pretty easy to step into her character. Q10 : How long did this take you to complete ? A10 : About four hours (spread out over two days.)